Russian police cars block a street next to the FSB security service’s office in Moscow on December 19, 2019. – Russia’s FSB security service said it has “neutralised” a gunman who opened fire in central Moscow on December 19 and confirmed an unspecified number of casualties, in a statement carried by Russian news agencies. “An unknown individual opened fire near building number 12 on Bolshaya Lubyanka street, there are casualties. The identity of the criminal is being established. The criminal has been neutralised,” agencies quoted the FSB as saying, without giving further details. (Photo by STR / AFP) (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)
An unidentified gunman opened fire Thursday outside the Moscow headquarters of Russia's top security agency, killing one officer and wounding five others, officials said.
The Federal Security Service, or FSB, said the assailant was acting alone and didn't enter its building. Earlier, it said the assailant had been “neutralized” — a term usually used by Russian officials when an assailant is killed.
The Health Ministry said that five other people were wounded in the shooting, including two security officers who were badly injured by the gunman.
The FSB said the shooting occurred at a building directly behind its headquarters on Lubyanka Square.
The agency, which is the main successor agency to the Soviet-era KGB, wouldn't give further details or comment on the attacker's motives.
In a video shared on social media, loud shots and bangs can be heard.
Robert Anchipolovsky, an Israeli musician, was on the way to his concert in Moscow when he started filming the street from his car. As he started filming, the shooting began.
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“I thought it was fireworks and then I saw how police started to fall on the tarmac and crouch down,” Anchipolovsky told The Associated Press.
Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the president had been informed of the shooting that came shortly after the Russian leader's annual news conference.
At about the same time when the shooting happened, Putin made a speech at a Kremlin concert for FSB and other Russian security personnel.
In a speech marking the date the Soviet secret police was founded, Putin hailed its officers for their efforts in combating terrorism and organized crime.
