Russian emergency services personnel search through debris at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow.Credit:AP
Yassin Musharbash,a German journalist and security specialist,said the language,content and channels of communication used for the claim of responsibility showed that the claim definitely came from Islamic State. In a post on X,he said that did not mean it was factually true that the group carried out the attack,but that this was plausible.
In the past,militant groups have been known to claim attacks carried out by others,if they fit with their preferred targets and propaganda goals.
People lay flowers and light candles near Crocus City Hall at the weekend.Credit:AP
‘Fixated on Russia’
IS has a strong motivation to strike Russia,which intervened against it in Syria’s civil war in 2015 on the side of President Bashar al-Assad.
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“ISIS-K has been fixated on Russia for the past two years,frequently criticising Putin in its propaganda,” said Colin Clarke of Soufan Centre,a New York-based research group.
Michael Kugelman of the Washington-based Wilson Centre said ISIS-K “sees Russia as being complicit in activities that regularly oppress Muslims”.
Reuters