Police in St. Petersburg arrested a group of foreign tourists after they danced and took photos near the local headquarters of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the news outlet Fontanka reported Tuesday.

Among those arrested were two U.S. citizens, an Israeli national and a local St. Petersburg resident, according to the report.

Fontanka said the group had been walking from the Great Choral Synagogue when they stopped to dance near the FSB building on Liteyny Prospekt. Police reportedly described the group as “behaving aggressively” after officers approached them for photographing the building.

The four were arrested, booked for disturbing the peace and placed in temporary detention, the report said. It was not clear whether police planned to press charges.

There was no official confirmation of the arrests.

The FSB’s St. Petersburg headquarters is located near several popular tourist sites, including the Neva River embankment, the Summer Garden and Saint Michael’s Castle.

(C)THE MOSCOW TIMES 2025