Russia arrests 15 allegedly in connection with an ISIS bomb plot

Russian men who were trained by ISIS in Syria plotted to attack Moscow's public transportation system, according to Russia's Federal Security Service, who confirmed they had arrested 15 people in connection to the scheme. A raid on a Moscow apartment, which required the evacuation of 120 residents, allegedly turned up a homemade bomb containing 11 pounds of explosives, Agence France-Presse reports.

"There was a set address in Moscow where between six and 11 people periodically stayed, some of whom participated in ISIS military training camps in Syria," an FSB spokesperson said. "They arrived back in Russia long before the start of Russia's military operation [in Syria]."

Some skepticism might be warranted, however, since the Russian government has often cited terrorist threats — and is even suspected of helping conduct attacks on the Russian homeland — to justify its national security policy. Russia recently stepped up its involvement in the Syrian civil war on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad, though it has couched its intervention as part of a fight against ISIS and global terrorism. However, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter recently warned that Russia has "initiated a joint ground offensive with the Syrian regime, shattering the facade that they are there to fight ISIS."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.