(NewsNation) — Looks like U.S. intelligence was right about an attack in Moscow.
That’s the opinion of a NewsNation contributor and intelligence veteran, and the United States did the right thing in sharing what it knew with Russia, she says.
“We have a duty to pass information we get to any country, whether that country is a friend or a foe,” says Tracy Walder, a former CIA officer and FBI special agent.
Earlier this month, the State Department warned Russia it was picking up “chatter” about a possible terrorist attack that could occur at a concert. Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the U.S. of trying to intimidate and destabilize his country.
“The reality is it looks like the information we passed to them was correct,” Walder says.
But the key, Walder notes, is how specific the warning from Washington was: “If we tell Russia it’s any concert venue, that’s really difficult to lock down. But if we provided them with much more simplified and specific information, and they chose not to act on it, then that’s another story.”
Walder spoke to “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” before ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, but she mentioned the group as one of four possible culprits.
Ukraine has denied any responsibility, and Walder agrees.
“This really isn’t Ukraine’s style of attack,” she said.
