Islamic State Claims Moscow Attacks

Today, large-scale terrorist attacks took place in the Moscow area. Despite predictable conspiracy theories claiming that the attacks were a false-flag operation by the Russian government in order to rally support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, the nature of the attacks captured on footage and the U.S. intelligence community’s own warnings earlier this month about threats of an imminent attack by ‘extremists’ in Russia pointed to the Islamic State’s responsibility. As should always be standard procedure, it is best to wait in the aftermath of any incident to see if the Islamic State issues some official kind of claim, and sure enough, it has done so, initially via its Amaq News agency (there will be other material from the group to follow, which I will post when it emerges).

It is notable to see how the attack is framed: namely, it is portrayed as an attack targeting Christians. Of course, this framing is in keeping with how Islamic State views all Christians worldwide in terms of a three-way choice: convert to Islam, become dhimmis and pay a poll-tax and live as second-class citizens under the Islamic State’s authority, or die. As was the case with the Turkey attacks earlier this year, one should not read some sophisticated geopolitical strategy into this operation that has resulted in mass killing and destruction in Russia. It is simply a case of Islamic State operatives and cells striking wherever they can as part of a global ‘fight the infidels and apostates everywhere’- an approach underscored by the Islamic State’s spokesman Abu Hudhayfa al-Ansari in a speech released just after the Iran bombings.

Below is the Amaq News claim translated by me:

Security source to Amaq Agency: Islamic State fighters attacked a large gathering of Christians in the city of ‘Krasnogorsk’ in the suburbs of Russia’s capital Moscow, and they killed and wounded hundreds and inflicted great damage on the place before safely withdrawing to their bases.

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Update: detailed Amaq News report (23 March 2024), translated by me.

The most violent in years- hundreds of Russian Christians killed and wounded in a bloody attack by the Islamic State in the heart of Russia.

[Photo: the men who carried out the bloody attack on Russia’s Christians in ‘Krasnogorsk’ in ‘Moscow’]

Russia, Moscow, Amaq Agency: the Islamic State directed a powerful blow against Russia in a bloody attack that is the most violent one to have targeted Russia in years.

Security sources told ‘Amaq’ Agency that a coordinated attack was launched by Islamic State fighters on Friday against a large gathering of Christians in the city of ‘Krasnogorsk’ on the outskirts of the capital of ‘Moscow.’

The sources added that the attack targeted a mass gathering attended by thousands of Christians within the ‘Music Hall’ located within a large commercial complex in the city. The sources revealed to ‘Amaq’ that the attack was carried out by four of the Islamic State’s fighters who were armed with machine guns, pistols, knives and incendiary bombs. The operation was preceded by intense surveillance of the place.

The sources clarified that the fighters assaulted the hall and three of them began opening fire on the crowd, while the fourth fighter started the fire in the hall with incendiary bombs that were prepared in advance for this purpose.

The sources made clear that the fighters confirmed that they fired bullets into the heads of dozens of Christians, and slaughtered a number of them inside the hall and its corridors.

In a toll that is not yet final, the bloody attack resulted in at least 300 Christians killed and wounded, as well as the outbreak of a large fire that engulfed two thirds of the hall and caused the collapse of large parts of it.

The sources confirmed to ‘Amaq’ that the attack comes naturally within the framework of the ongoing war between the Islamic State and the countries waging war on Islam.

23 March 2024.

Photo: “The men who carried out the bloody attack on the Russia’s Christians in the town of ‘Krasnogorsk’ in ‘Moscow.’

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Update (23 March 2024): as anticipated, the ‘properly’ official claim of the attack and simply described as occurring ‘Russia’ (rather than claiming it as an operation of the Khorasan ‘province’). The claim is framed in less ‘objective’ terms than the Amaq reports:

Killing and wounding of hundreds of Russian Christians in a major operation by the soldiers of the Caliphate in Russia

Russia: Saturday 13 Ramadan 1445 AH

With the granting of success from God Almighty, four inghimasis [commandos] of the soldiers of the Caliphate set out yesterday to a large gathering of the disbelieving Christians in a celebrations hall in the town of ‘Krasnogorsk’ in the capital of Moscow. They assaulted the hall and target the Christians with machine guns and knives. They also started a fire inside the hall with incendiary bombs. This resulted in the killing and wounding of at least 300 and the burning of two thirds of the place, and praise and thanks be to God. And let Crusader Russia and her allies know that the mujahidin do not forget to take their revenge.

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Update: an Amaq News video featuring horrific scenes from the attacks, entitled “Exclusive scenes from ‘Amaq’ Agency showing the moments of the bloody attack on the Christians yesterday in the town of ‘Krasnogorsk’ in ‘Moscow.’ Relevant remarks in the video are translated below.

Speaker: Come, come quickly. Bring the machine gun, bring the machine gun. Kill them and have no mercy on them.

Speaker: The disbelievers are defeated God willing. Allahu Akbar, the disbelievers are defeated. We have come out for the sake of God and to support His religion.