Click to see full-size image. (Amaq)
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the March 22 Crocus City Hall terrorist attack in the Russian capital, Moscow, however the available information indicates that the terrorist group is being used as a cover, or a “false flag”, by the real perpetrators.
During the horrendous attack, four armed terrorists stormed the Crocus City Hall, where a concert was being held. The terrorists opened fire at civilians causing a state of panic, then set the hall on fire before fleeing. At least 133 lost their lives in the attack, while more than 145 others were wounded.
ISIS quickly jumped to claim responsibility for the attack in a statement released late on March 22 by its official news agency, Amaq.
“A security source told Amaq Agency: Islamic State fighters attacked a large gathering of Christians in the city of Krasnogorsk on the outskirts of the Russian capital, Moscow, killing and wounding hundreds and causing great destruction to the place before they withdrew to their bases safely,” the statement reads.
The statement was very general and didn’t provide any details about the attack or the terrorists involved. Amaq released a follow up statement on March 23, along with a blurred photo of the terrorists in front of a makeshift ISIS flag.
“The most violent attack in years: hundreds of Russian Christians were killed and wounded in a bloody attack by the Islamic State in the heart of Russia.
“Russia – Moscow – Amaq Agency: The Islamic State dealt a strong blow to Russia with a bloody attack, the most violent targeting it in years.
Security sources told Amaq Agency that a coordinated attack was launched by Islamic State fighters on Friday against a large crowd of Christians in the city of Krasnogorsk on the outskirts of the capital, Moscow.
The sources added that the attack targeted a mass party attended by thousands of Christians, inside a “music hall” located within a large commercial complex in the city.
The sources revealed to Amaq that the attack was carried out by four Islamic State fighters who were armed with machine guns, a pistol, knives and incendiary bombs, and was preceded by an intensive monitoring operation of the place.
The sources explained that the fighters stormed the hall and three of them began shooting at the crowd, while the fourth fighter was busy setting fire to the hall using incendiary bombs that had been prepared in advance for this purpose.
The sources indicated that the fighters confirmed that they shot dozens of Christians in the heads, and slaughtered a number of them inside the hall and its corridors.
The bloody attack resulted in an infinite toll in at least 300 Christians being killed or wounded, and a major fire broke out that destroyed two-thirds of the hall and caused the collapse of large parts.
The sources confirmed to Amaq that the attack comes within the normal context of the raging war between the Islamic State and countries fighting Islam,” the terrorist group said in the statement.
Aside from the attached photo, there was no information about the terrorists. ISIS didn’t mention their nationality, names or even their nom nom de guerre, which is very unusual.
Right before the release of Amaq’s second statement, Russian security forces apprehended the four terrorists in the Bryansk region, close to the border with Ukraine. Seven others suspected of facilitating the attack were also arrested. Soon after, the Russian Ministry of Interior revealed that none of the terrorists were Russian nationals. Preliminary information indicates that at least some of the terrorists were from Tajikistan.
The arrest provided the first evidence indicating that ISIS was somehow involved in the attack, at least when it comes to providing a cover for it.
Footage of the detained terrorists show that at least three of them were wearing shirts similar to the ones worn by the four men in Amaq’s photo.
Still, ISIS failure to name the terrorists or at least mention their nom de guerre raises suspicion of how much the group really knew about the attack or its real perpetrators.
Click to see full-size image.
What further added to the suspicions was the initial confessions of the detained terrorists, who didn’t mention ISIS but talked about receiving money -half a million Russian rubles [$5,418]- and instruction for the attack from unknown handlers over the internet.
The initial confessions as well as the fact that the terrorists didn’t commit suicide after the attack or at least fight until death to resist arrest, as typical for jihadists, indicate that they were not really ideologically motivated, but rather radical mercenaries.
The location where the terrorists were apprehended provided the first hint of who may really be behind the attack in Moscow.
The four terrorists were clearly planning to cross into Ukraine. This was confirmed by Russian President Vladimer Putin, who said in his first address to the nation after the deadly attack that the terrorists were trying to cross the border with Ukraine where a “window” was prepared on the Ukrainian side.
While senior Ukrainian officials denied any involvement in the attack, they were quick to attempt to blame it on the Russian government itself.
Andrii Yusov, a spokesperson of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR), told Ukrainska Pravda just minutes after the initial reports of the attack that the shooting was a “deliberate provocation by Putin’s special services.” At the time, there were no official accusations from the Russian side. Yusov’s odd remarks might have been a pre-prepared attempt to deflect responsibility.
The Kiev regime had the motive to plot the attack. In the few weeks leading to the attack, Kiev forces attacked Russian territories with rockets, drones and missiles on a daily basis. There have also been several attempts to infiltrate the regions of Belgorod and Kursk. Radical jihadists even took part in these attempts. These attacks were means to disturb the Russian presidential elections and terrorize the Russian population in general.
The attack in Moscow in fact took place right after two waves of Russian retaliatory strikes that targeted Ukraine on March 21 and early on March 22.
The involvement of Ukrainian intelligence appears to be certain and ISIS attempted to cover for the attack by claiming responsibility was more of a false-flag operation. However, the two were not likely the only sides involved in the terrorist attack.
Information leaked by Russian news sources indicates that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was involved in the attack.
Just two weeks before the attack, the U.S. embassy in Moscow called on American citizens in Russia to avoid gatherings without providing a reason.
According to the leaked information, the four terrorists were recruited for the attack by a Tajaki named Salmon Khurasani, who has links to both the CIA and ISIS’ wing in central Asia that is known as the Islamic State – Khorasan Province or ISIS-K. While ISIS didn’t mention that the attack was carried out by its Khorasan wing, initial reports in the Western mainstream media blamed the attack specifically on ISIS-K.
The CIA being the central link between Ukraine and ISIS is not surprising. Recent reports, specifically one released by The New York Times last February, details how the HUR basically became a branch of the CIA after the Ukrainian regime change of 2014.
Of course, such a plot couldn’t have been developed without the knowledge of the British Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, which is heavily active in Ukraine.
Senior Russian officials, including President Putin, have already vowed to hold the perpetrators of the terrorist attack accountable. The interrogation of the four terrorists and their suspected facilitators will likely reveal more about the roles of the sides involved in this deadly plot.
All in all, a logical analysis of available information indicates that ISIS was used as a cover, or a false flag, by the real perpetrators, who appear to be the Kiev regime and its allies in the West.
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