Russian internal intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service (FSB), arrested an Islamic State (ISIS) suicide bomber who was plotting an attack on a leader of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The FSB said the terrorist, a native of Central Asia, “planned to commit a terrorist act by self-detonation against one of the representatives of the ruling circles of India.” It noted that ISIS had recruited the detained person in the period between April and June 2022 in Turkey. The agency added that he was indoctrinated through the Telegram messenger app and occasionally met with an ISIS member.
Following his indoctrination, ISIS asked him to travel to India via Russia to commit a “high-profile terrorist act.”
Russia has vowed to cooperate and share intelligence with Indian security agencies on ISIS activities and threats against the Indian subcontinent, officials told News 18. Russian officials told an Indian security delegation in Moscow that the suicide bomber was identified as Azamov and was sent to Russia to get an Indian visa to avoid suspicion.
This is the video of the #ISIS suicide bomber apprehended by the Russian security agency. He has confessed that he was tasked by Islamic State to target a top leader of ruling government in India. pic.twitter.com/gWet1oVcVo
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) August 22, 2022
The FSB released a video showing the suicide bomber confessing to authorities. In his confession, the terrorist said he planned to travel to India and meet someone to get the necessary support to carry out the attack. “I was working on the instructions of the Islamic State for insulting the prophet,” he noted.
He was referring to the remarks made by now-former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma in June insulting the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. Sharma and BJP’s Delhi media chief, Naveen Kumar Jindal, made comments mocking the Prophet by saying he had sex with a nine-year-old child.
The remarks resulted in widespread fury across the Islamic world, with dozens of countries and organisations like the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the Arab League denouncing Sharma and Jindal’s ‘blasphemous’ comments.
Their remarks were also condemned by the terrorist group Al Qaeda, which vowed to retaliate by launching multiple attacks in Indian states, including Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, as well as in major Indian cities like New Delhi and Mumbai. They also warned the BJP against further insulting the Prophet and urged Muslims to fight and die” for the Prophet.