The recent deadly attack in Russia has shed light on the U.S. intelligence community's practice of the 'duty to warn,' which obliges officials to share knowledge of imminent threats, regardless of the target's identity. Two weeks before the tragic incident at a concert hall in Moscow, the U.S. had warned Russia of extremists' plans for a large-scale attack. Despite this warning, the attack claimed over 130 lives, with the Islamic State's affiliate in Afghanistan claiming responsibility.
The duty to warn gained prominence after al-Qaeda's attacks in 1998, leading to a formal directive in 2015. This directive mandates the sharing of impending threat information with relevant parties, with exceptions for extreme cases where disclosure could endanger lives or operations.
