Italy warns against travel to Russia, citing imminent terrorist threats

"We had already advised our citizens on March 8 not to travel to Russia, and if they are already there, to refrain from participating in events," stated Italian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani.

"A terrorist attack in Russia seemed imminent," revealed Italy's Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani in a Sunday interview with "Corriere della Sera."

"On March 8, we had already warned our citizens not to travel to Russia, and if they were there, to abstain from participating in events," the Foreign Minister reiterated. "We now hope that Putin won't use this tragic act of terrorism as a pretext to escalate tensions," he added.

"The restless Muslim minority at the Afghan border is well known. It's also an open secret that there are plans, facilitated by the Afghan branch of ISIS, to establish an Islamic state in the Caucasus and Central Asia. Now, all signs suggest they might have orchestrated the attack," the Italian Foreign Minister explained, referring to the terrorist strike on Friday in Krasnogorsk near Moscow, which claimed over 130 lives.

"Terrorism affects us all. We are collectively prepared to combat it; not just to avert further escalation of tension on Russia's eastern front, but also in recognition of the global threat," he highlighted.

"Certainly, we mustn't let down our guard," Deputy Prime Minister Tajani remarked.

A US official confirmed on Friday that the Islamic State had claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack at a concert near Moscow, which US intelligence had pre-warned Russia about.

The official disclosed that the United States had alerted Russia in the preceding weeks about the potential for such an attack.

"Indeed, we had cautioned the Russians," said the official, who requested anonymity and did not provide further details.