US says 'credible reports' Russia backed Montenegro attack

The White House ratcheted up its criticism of Russia today, pointedly saying it had seen credible reports that Moscow backed an election-day attack in Montenegro last year.

A senior administration official -- speaking as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in Moscow for difficult talks on Syria -- pointed the finger of blame at Russia for an alleged coup attempt during October's election.

"We are very concerned about Russian interference in the October elections in Montenegro," the official said, "including credible reports of Russian support for an attempted election-day attack on the government." A special prosecutor in Montenegro has accused Russian state bodies and the pro-Russian Democratic Front (DF) party of trying to overthrow the government, in an effort to prevent Montenegro from entering NATO.

Andrija Mandic, who is one of DF's two leaders and is among 25 people accused by the prosecutor, told

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)