CIA helped prevent terror attack in Russia

The United States provided Russia with intelligence that helped prevent a series of bombings in the port city of St. Petersburg, according to the Kremlin and White House. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday called President Donald Trump to thank him for the tip from the CIA. The Kremlin in a statement said the information led Russia’s top domestic security agency to a group of suspects who planned to bomb St. Petersburg Kazan Cathedral and other crowded sites over the weekend. Russian officials found explosives, automatic weapons, and extremist literature after searching a house in St. Petersburg. On Friday, the Russian Federal Security Service said authorities arrested seven suspected Islamic State (ISIS) followers who planned to stage attacks in the city. The White House in a statement said Putin and Trump “agree that this serves as an example of the positive things that can occur when countries work together.” The phone call is the second between the leaders in the past week, even as relations between Russia and the United States remain tense. Earlier on Thursday, Putin and Trump discussed ways to jointly address North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.