Russia foils terror attack on Moscow, kills two suspects

Russian counter-terrorism agents on Sunday foiled a terror attack on Moscow, killing two suspects during a raid and arresting another.

"Our forceful actions prevented an attempted act of terror in the capital," the National Anti-Terror Committee said in a statement.

The statement also said that all three men were ethnic Russians and suspected of having received training in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan. A gunfight erupted during the raid on a house in the town of Orekhovo-Zuyevo, east of the capital, leaving a Russian federal security official lightly injured.

The group's target was allegedly a mass event in central Moscow. Further information was not being divulged as the plot is still under investigation.

More from GlobalPost: Moscovites familiar with atmosphere of terror

The three men suspected of masterminding the plot were all Muslims and had been under observation for a month. Authorities are investigating possible links between the suspects and the militant Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

The Kremlin said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was personally informed about the foiled attack.

Earlier the same day, two car bombs were detonated outside a court in Dagestan's capital of Makhachkala, killing at least eight people and injuring around 50.

The last major attack to hit Moscow was in 2011 when 37 people were killed in a suicide bombing in Domodedovo international airport. A double-suicide bombing in Moscow's subway also killed 40 in 2010.