An Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility Friday for the massacre at a Moscow-area concert hall, one of the deadliest attacks in Russia in decades, and U.S. officials confirmed the claim shortly afterward.
The United States gathered intelligence in March that the Islamic State of Khorasan, known as ISIS-K, the group’s Afghanistan-based affiliate, was planning an attack on Moscow, according to officials. ISIS members have been active in Russia, a US official said.
After a period of relative calm, the Islamic State is seeking to step up its external attacks, U.S. counterterrorism officials say. Most of these attacks in Europe were foiled, leading to the assessment that the group had reduced capabilities.
“ISIS-K has been fixated on Russia for the past two years,” said Colin P. Clarke, a counterterrorism analyst at the Soufan Group, a security consulting firm based in New York, who frequently criticized President Vladimir V. Putin in his propaganda . “ISIS-K accuses the Kremlin of having Muslim blood on its hands and points to Moscow’s interventions in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Syria.”
Friday’s attack in Moscow, like a January attack claimed by the group in Iran, could prompt a reassessment of its ability to attack outside its home territory.
In addition to publicly warning on March 7 of a possible attack, U.S. officials said they privately told Russian officials about intelligence indicating an impending attack. It is not clear how much information the United States gave Russian officials beyond the public warning.
American intelligence agencies have a “duty to warn potential targets of dangers” when they learn of them.
The United States had warned Iran of a possible attack ahead of two bombings in January that killed dozens of people and injured hundreds more at a memorial ceremony for former Iranian top general Qassim Suleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike four years earlier had been killed.
Western intelligence services had collected information about possible bombing attacks by ISIS-K on the service. As in Russia, ISIS-K claimed responsibility for this attack.
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2024-03-23 14:06:30
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