A 16-year-old boy has been detained and placed in pre-trial detention in Buynaksk, Daghestan, on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack near the local branch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The Daghestani Investigative Committee reported the arrest on Sunday, and said that a criminal case has been opened on charges of attempted terrorism.
According to investigators, in March 2025, the teenager allegedly decided to carry out an explosion near the ministry building in Buynaksk. In July, he reportedly retrieved an improvised explosive device from a hidden cache, intending to carry out the plan, at which point he was detained by officers from the Federal Security Service (FSB) and Ministry of Internal Affairs. The authorities stated that the device was seized and the suspect transferred to a detention centre.
The teenager’s name has not been released. However, his age was confirmed by the Telegram channel ‘Criminal Chronicle’, which is closely affiliated with law enforcement agencies.
The local Telegram account Sapa Kavkaz, citing unnamed sources, reported that the suspect is allegedly a supporter of the Islamic State, a group banned in Russia, and had planned a suicide bombing near the police building. According to the same source, the teenager also posted calls for terrorism on an undisclosed Telegram channel. These claims have not been confirmed by official sources.
The Investigative Committee said that the investigation was ongoing and that expert examinations have been ordered, and witnesses would be questioned.
The case is one of many involving minors accused of terrorism offences in Russia. According to official figures, 155 teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17 are currently listed in the Russian government’s registry of individuals involved in terrorism and extremism. The list includes one 14-year-old, 23 aged 15, 46 aged 16, and 85 aged 17. In total, nearly 18,000 people of all ages are listed.
In October 2024, FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov noted that minors were increasingly being drawn into terrorist activity in the North Caucasus.
‘In the North Caucasus region, where the situation is worsening, there are recorded instances of young people — including minors — being recruited into terrorist activities’, Bortnikov said, as quoted by Interfax news agency.
He also stated that this trend had intensified in the context of the ‘special military operation’ — the term used by Russian authorities for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to Bortnikov, radical groups were attempting to provoke public unrest and mass disorder through the use of messengers and popular internet platforms, particularly targeting young people.
Elizaveta Chukharova
