March 22 has been a tragic day for the Russians in addition to nations and people with conscience all through the world as a large live performance venue particularly Crocus Metropolis Corridor within the metropolis of Krasnogorsk on the outskirts of Moscow metropolis got here beneath grotesque terrorist bloodbath killing 144 individuals and injuring dozens. In response to info, Crocus Metropolis Corridor auditorium has a capability of seven,500 individuals. Instantly following the bloodbath, whereas Ukraine and the US made some extraordinarily doubtful statements, Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) claimed duty which is seen by counterterrorism specialists as uncertain. Even earlier than Russian authorities started investigation into the matter, the West began claiming that the ISKP’s assertion claiming duty was “real”. Statements from Washington have been first reported by some media shops equivalent to CNN and Reuters, which was later picked up by Western officers. On March 25, White Home Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a assertion insisted that Islamic State (ISIS) was behind the Crocus Metropolis Corridor bloodbath.
In my view, the Crocus Metropolis Corridor bloodbath doesn’t match with related assaults by Islamic State. Furthermore, even when the March 22 bloodbath was carried out by ISIS or ISKP, it doesn’t relieve Ukraine in addition to the US and Washington’s European allies from being held accountable.
Commenting on the March 22 bloodbath, former US Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter mentioned, “This was a political act linked to an American coverage goal being carried out by Ukrainian intelligence companies”.
He mentioned, “These aren’t hardcore ISIS followers. These are individuals who self-identified as ISIS by posting a picture that was picked up by the ISIS media arm after which revealed and ISIS checked out it and mentioned, ‘okay, they’re doing all the best issues. They revealed a photograph, they made Shahada – introduced the creed of Islam. So, we’re going to say sure, that is ISIS, that is ours’”.
Ritter added that the attackers tried to return to their “true north” of Ukraine after the assault fairly than going out as professed “martyrs”. “These aren’t jihadists, these are mercenaries”, Ritter concluded. “These are individuals who took cash to commit an act of irregular warfare”.
Scott Ritter defined varied elements of the attackers’ alleged career of religion appear amiss.
“Shahada is the Islamic creed that’s terribly essential as a result of that’s how one says ‘I’m Muslim’”. It’s a really pious act. It solely counts if it’s meant severely. And there’s nothing within the Islamic faith that claims that you need to elevate a finger. That’s one thing that has come into development with jihadists as a result of Osama bin Laden did that”.
“So, you’ll see numerous al-Qaeda Islamists do Shahada elevating their proper hand”, he continued. “Proper hand, by the best way, is essential – it’s the hand of righteousness, it’s the clear hand, it’s the hand that does good. The left hand is the hand of Devil, the hand of evil, the hand that does dangerous”.
“These 4 perpetrators of this motion in Moscow posted {a photograph} of them giving Shahada with their left hand, which tells you they haven’t any clue what they’re doing”, mentioned Ritter. “These aren’t Muslims. These aren’t actual Muslims. These are people who find themselves pretending to be Muslims”.
Ritter additionally pointed to the truth that the perpetrators fled the scene of the terrorist assault afterwards, fairly than preventing to the dying. Islamic terrorists usually exit as “martyrs”, he famous, following their “true north” to everlasting reward in Heaven. Friday’s attackers as a substitute tried to flee to Ukraine, suggesting their “true north” is Kiev.
“The most important takeaway, although, is that they blurred their faces,” he claimed. “Should you’re on the point of announce your creed to Islam and also you’re going to be a martyr, navigating true north to heaven and the 72 virgins that await you, you need your faces seen. You’re asserting this piously, publicly. They blurred their faces. Why?”
“It’s a political act, it had nothing to do with Islam or nothing to do with a battle between Russia and Islamic forces in Afghanistan or Syria. This was a political act linked to an American coverage goal being carried out by Ukrainian intelligence companies”, Ritter added.
These years, we have now witnessed the technique adopted by ISIS jihadists together with these committing crimes as lone wolves. The technique is – anybody who supported the jihadists, wherever they lived, might file a video with an oath of allegiance to the “caliph”, ship it through an automatic suggestions bot, after which commit a terrorist act. Typically it was solely the perpetrator who died, however for ISIS, this didn’t matter – it solely cared about being talked about in reference to the terrorist exercise, which is why the group sometimes took duty for crimes that it had nothing to do with. In different phrases – for ISIS, claiming duty of any terrorist act, the place it even doesn’t have distant connections is a technique of letting the world know – this world terrorist group is lively regardless of the very fact of its present state of affairs the place its capacities are on quick decline.
The terrorist assault in Crocus Metropolis Corridor, nevertheless, principally doesn’t match with the easy technique often adopted by ISIS. In actual fact, the selection of a rock live performance as the positioning of the terrorist assault is sort of the one widespread characteristic between this assault and different acts of terror it has dedicated.
4 individuals who had not beforehand identified one another have been recruited to hold out the terrorist assault. One in all them, Shamsidin Fariduni, was in Türkiye in February, and from there he flew to Russia on March 4. He spent not less than ten days in Türkiye and investigators are at present figuring out who he communicated with whereas there.
In response to unofficial info, he met with a sure “Islamic preacher” in Istanbul. Nevertheless, additionally it is identified that the terrorists corresponded with the “preacher’s assistant”. In response to Fariduni, this nameless individual sponsored and arranged the terrorist assault. Initially – this isn’t the best way of somebody being radicalized simply inside ten days.
After arriving in Russia, Fariduni visited Crocus Metropolis Corridor on March 7 with a purpose to see the positioning the place the crime was to be dedicated. From this, we could conclude that the assault was to happen quickly after his arrival from Türkiye. On the identical day, the US embassy in Russia warned its residents to keep away from massive gatherings “over the subsequent 48 hours” attributable to doable assaults by extremists.
Not one of the terrorists deliberate to “be part of the Houris in paradise” (72 virgins in Muslim heaven) as is common for ISIS followers. After taking pictures individuals in Crocus Metropolis Corridor and setting the constructing on fireplace, they didn’t assault the particular forces which arrived on the scene and as a substitute received in a automotive and fled from Moscow. Neither did they put on “suicide belts” – a attribute element of ISIS followers who’re able to die after committing their crime.
One other element which is uncharacteristic for ISIS is – the financial reward promised to the terrorists. The fee was speculated to be made in two installments – earlier than and after the assault. The terrorists had already obtained the primary fee, amounting to US$2,700. That is distinctively completely different from different ISIS circumstances of terrorist acts, the place its fighters by no means take part in alternate or cash. It was fairly a case the place some events had employed these people for staging the bloodbath.
Most significantly – instantly after the bloodbath, terrorists have been fleeing by Russia-Ukraine border and whereas they have been chased by legislation enforcement businesses, none of them tried to commit suicide. They have been additionally not sporting suicide vest – which in necessary in such circumstances. That means, none of those terrorists are ISIS. They’re employed mercenaries – killers. Hopefully quickly we will know – who had employed them.
