Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) says it apprehended three suspected members of the extremist group Islamic State (IS) and that a fourth suspect blew himself up while being arrested.
FSB officials said April 17 that the group, which they called an IS cell, was suspected of plotting a series of terrorist acts in the southwestern Rostov region.
According to the FSB, the leader of the group opened fire at security officers during the arrest and blew himself up with an explosive device.
The FSB frequently announces that it has foiled terrorist plots, and its account could not be independently verified.
The FSB did not specify when and where the arrests were conducted. It said that an AK-47, several grenades, and manuals to make-up explosive devices had been found at the scene.
The identities of the suspects have not been released.
Russian authorities have said that up to 5,000 people from Russia and other former Soviet republics have joined IS in Syria in recent years.
