FSB agent killed, attacker 'neutralized' in Moscow shootout

AFP

An officer in Russia's FSB security service was killed and five people were wounded on Thursday when a gunman opened fire near its central Moscow headquarters.

The FSB said the lone attacker was "neutralized" after the attack outside its headquarters on Lubyanka Square close to a busy shopping area in the heart of the Russian capital.

Footage shot by passers-by showed people running in panic while armed officers made their way toward the scene after the late evening incident, taking cover behind parked cars.

"An unknown individual opened fire near building... there are casualties. The identity of the criminal is being established. The criminal has been neutralized," the FSB said.

It added later that "one FSB officer has died," and denied some reports of multiple gunmen, insisting there was only one attacker.

AFP correspondents in the area, however, heard more gunfire in the area two hours later, as police cordons remained around the area.

Witness Andrei Molchanov told AFP at the scene he saw one body and had heard rounds of automatic weapons fire.

Automatic gunfire

Pavel, another witness who was in a cafe near the scene, said he heard solitary automatic gunfire and questioned why anybody would open fire near the heavily guarded FSB headquarters.

Several videos shot from different vantage points showed armed men running out of an FSB reception office located close to the headquarters.

Footage posted on Telegram news channel Baza, shot in the square near the FSB headquarters, showed a man running and being apparently shot in the back after which he laid in the middle of the parking lot.

Another video showed gunfire at the windows of the FSB headquarters.

Russia's Investigative Committee launched a probe into the shooting and "attempt on life of a law enforcement employee," without giving the number of casualties.

The health ministry told Russian agencies that five people were being treated for injuries due to the shooting, without specifying the nature of the injuries or whether the casualties were civilians.

Putin informed

The incident came on the eve of the Day of Security Service in Russia which is celebrated on December 20.

President Vladimir Putin also on Thursday gave a speech marking a concert for the Russian security workers' day, saying that at least 54 terror-related crimes had been thwarted in Russia in 2019, including 33 attacks.

The Russian leader had earlier been in central Moscow for his annual marathon news conference with journalists that lasted almost four and a half hours.

Putin had been informed about the incident, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.