MOSCOW: A gunman opened fire on the headquarters of Russia`s FSB securityservice in central Moscow on Thursday evening in a rare shooting incidentthat the FSB said had left at least one of its employees dead.
The attack happened shortly after President Vladimir Putin had deliveredhis annual news conference and while he was speaking at a Kremlin eventdesigned to celebrate the work of the security services.
The FSB suspected the attack may have been planned to coincide with Putin`sevening speech, a source close to the FSB told Reuters.
The FSB, Russia`s domestic security service, said it had “neutralised” thegunman and was working to establish his identity, the Interfax news agencyreported. It was not immediately clear what his motive was.
Read Top Stories
Footage posted on social media showed automatic gunfire hitting the wallsof the FSB`s main building on Lubyanka Square in central Moscow. Sirens,gunshots and screams were heard by people in the area, which is also a busyshopping district popular with tourists that is a short walk from theKremlin.
The FSB, which Putin used to head, said several people had been wounded inthe attack. Interfax cited the Health Ministry as saying five people hadbeen hurt, some of them seriously, including two FSB employees.
