IS Claims Responsibility for Moscow Terror Attack... Security Experts Say "Credible"

The Islamic extremist armed group Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the shooting and arson terror attack that occurred in Moscow, Russia, and experts have evaluated that there is credibility to IS's claim.

Experts analyzed that this terror attack follows the past attack patterns of IS. Adam Dolnik, a Czech security expert studying terror attacks committed by Islamic extremist groups, assessed that this attack is a typical method used by IS or al-Qaeda in recent years.

On the 23rd (local time), after a shooting and arson attack occurred in Krasnogorsk, on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia, Russian rescue teams were seen clearing debris at the Crocus City Hall concert venue.
[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

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Dolnik stated that IS bombed a passenger plane heading from Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, to Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 2015, and attacked the Russian embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2022, adding, "Considering all of this, it is reasonable to think that IS carried out this attack."

However, a notable difference in this terror attack is that unlike the usual characteristic of Islamic armed forces who enter terror sites prepared to die, the suspects fled the scene. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested 11 people on the 22nd (local time), including four key suspects involved in the Moscow terror attack. The key suspects were caught while fleeing in the Bryansk region, about 300 km from Moscow.

German security expert Yassin Musarbash also said that based on the language, content, and communication channels related to this attack, it is certain that it came from IS. Colin Clarke of the U.S. terrorism research institute Soufan Center also said, "The Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), IS's branch in Afghanistan, has been obsessed with Russia for the past two years and has frequently criticized President Putin in propaganda media."

German security expert Peter Neumann explained that the way IS claims responsibility, the terror methods, the suspicion of involvement by Muslims from the former Soviet Central Asia, and the fact that the U.S. had warned about extremist terrorist threats all point to IS as the perpetrator of this terror attack. Neumann posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account, "The conclusion is that it was neither Putin nor Ukraine," adding, "It was IS."

IS claims responsibility for this terror attack. According to foreign media such as the U.S. Reuters and the U.K. Telegraph, IS released photos of the four suspects who led the attack on the 23rd (local time). The photos released by IS's own propaganda agency, Amaq News Agency, show four men wearing black baseball caps and balaclavas covering their faces, raising one finger pointing to the sky, a gesture symbolizing IS.

Along with releasing the photos, IS issued a statement saying, "We dealt a powerful blow to Russia with a bloody attack." They also added that the suspects conducted a "focused monitoring operation" before the attack and were armed with machine guns, knives, and bombs, intending to inflict damage on many Christian groups. IS stated that at least 300 casualties occurred in this attack and described the motive as "an intense war between IS and countries fighting the Islamic State."

Russia is claiming Ukraine's involvement. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a national address on the 23rd, "They fled toward Ukraine, and according to initial information, there was a window allowing crossing the border on the Ukrainian side," suggesting the possibility of Ukrainian connection. He also said, "We will find and punish everyone behind this."

Ukraine denied these allegations. President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on Telegram that night, "President Putin remained silent for a day and then came up with a way to shift responsibility to Ukraine instead of facing Russian citizens over this incident," criticizing, "It is all predictably obvious."

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