Islamic State’s distinct role in deadly Moscow attack, experts allege

Two of the four terrorists detained in Krasnogorsk were dressed in photos shown by Russian media very similarly to the ones published on Telegram by the Islamic State, as reported on Saturday by the British newspaper "The Guardian", citing analyses by the Insider website.

In the first of the photos published by the online news agency Amaq, four men can be seen in a distinctive pose with their index fingers raised against the backdrop of the Islamic State's black flag. It was indeed the Amaq agency that transmitted the admission of this organisation to Friday's attack near Moscow, in which at least 133 people died.

Insider claims that in the case of two suspect men, "the colour, cut, and print on their clothes match the outfits of the persons detained in connection with the suspicion of committing a terrorist attack".

According to the website, a segment of the interrogation of one of the detainees was shown on the TV program of Kremlin propagandist Margarita Simonjan. His "clothing matches the attire of one of the fighters from the photo published by the Amaq agency," wrote the website.

- "It is very likely that the Islamic State was behind the attack," said Reuters agency Czech security expert Adam Dolnik, however, pointing out one unusual element - the escape of the suspects. Most Islamic State attacks were intended to be suicidal.

According to Colin Clarke from the Soufan Center, a New York-based centre researching extremist movements, the Islamic State Khorasan Province has been focusing on Russia for the last two years. Michael Kugelman from the Washington D.C.-based Wilson Center believes, on the other hand, that the organisation "views Russia as complicit in persecuting Muslims".

German security expert Peter Neumann is convinced of the Islamist group's responsibility. The form of taking responsibility for the attack, the manner of the attackers' operation, the alleged involvement of Muslims from Tajikistan, and American warnings of an impending extremist attack in Russia suggest that "it was not Putin, it was not Ukraine. It was the Islamic State," wrote Neumann on the X platform.

- "Russia is an easy target due to organisational chaos. But I think ISIS could also threaten European countries this year," comments terrorism expert Dr. Bartosz Bojarczyk in a conversation with WP.