If last Friday night's deadly ambush at the Crocus City Hall near Moscow proved anything, it's that while Islamic State might be down, it's certainly not out.
The Islamic State group's group chats were going crazy in the days after the Crocus City Hall attack.
"We can see it in the chats. They're really enthusiastic about this attack, for them it's a morale booster," says an analyst, who wishes to remain anonymous.A combination of factors could have made Russia a target. Although the country's media is state-run, it's influential and competitive: an enticing prospect for IS, which had in January bombed a memorial in Kerman, Iran killing 94 people and injuring almost 300, but with much less global attention.
That's because significant security and intelligence resources have been diverted to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, and, the recent presidential election. Although, no-one was ever arrested over the blasts, Putin's strong military response increased his political popularity early in his reign. Some evidence suggests the Kremlin could have been behind the attacks.
Muhammadsobir Fayzov, a suspect in the shooting attack at the Crocus City Hall, had to be wheeled in to court this week. By 2019, US, Iraqi and Kurdish forces had recaptured all of the territory the Islamist group held. Its dreams of conquering the world were over.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
There’s little reason to doubt attack on Moscow venue was by Islamic StateThe ISKP regional affiliate has a haven in Afghanistan and carried out recent bombings in Iran, suggesting it has capacity for major atrocities
Read more »
Why did an Islamic State affiliate group attack a Moscow theatre?The group was responsible for an attack on Kabul's international airport in 2021 that killed 13 US troops. Why is the group now targeting Russia?
Read more »
Islamic State’s deadly Moscow attack highlights its fixation with RussiaThe ISKP regional affiliate has a haven in Afghanistan and carried out recent bombings in Iran, suggesting it has capacity for major atrocities
Read more »
Russia terror attack: Vladimir Putin seeks to blame Ukraine for Islamic State attack on concert hallRussian officials and state media have made little reference to IS’ claim, and Vladimir Putin did not mention it or Islamist terrorism in his first remarks.
Read more »
Why would Islamic State attack Russia and what does this mean for the terrorism threat globally?After five years of operating mostly in western Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Islamist terror groups are again growing in strength in the West.
Read more »