The United States collected intelligence in March that Islamic State-Khorasan, known as ISIS-K, the branch of the group based in Afghanistan, had been planning an attack on Moscow, according to officials.
After a period of relative quiet, the Islamic State has been trying to increase its external attacks, according to U.S. counterterrorism officials.
“ISIS-K has been fixated on Russia for the past two years,” frequently criticizing President Vladimir V. Putin in its propaganda, said Colin P. Clarke, a counterterrorism analyst at the Soufan Group, a security consulting firm based in New York.
“ISIS-K accuses the Kremlin of having Muslim blood in its hands, referencing Moscow’s interventions in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Syria.”
The attack on Friday in Moscow, like a January assault in Iran claimed by the group, could prompt a reassessment of its ability to strike outside its home territory.
The United States had warned Iran of a possible attack ahead of twin bombings in January that killed at least 103 people and wounded 211 others at a memorial service for Iran’s former top general, Qassim Suleimani, who was killed by a U.S. drone strike four years before.
The original article contains 340 words, the summary contains 188 words. Saved 45%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The United States collected intelligence in March that Islamic State-Khorasan, known as ISIS-K, the branch of the group based in Afghanistan, had been planning an attack on Moscow, according to officials.
After a period of relative quiet, the Islamic State has been trying to increase its external attacks, according to U.S. counterterrorism officials.
“ISIS-K has been fixated on Russia for the past two years,” frequently criticizing President Vladimir V. Putin in its propaganda, said Colin P. Clarke, a counterterrorism analyst at the Soufan Group, a security consulting firm based in New York.
“ISIS-K accuses the Kremlin of having Muslim blood in its hands, referencing Moscow’s interventions in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Syria.”
The attack on Friday in Moscow, like a January assault in Iran claimed by the group, could prompt a reassessment of its ability to strike outside its home territory.
The United States had warned Iran of a possible attack ahead of twin bombings in January that killed at least 103 people and wounded 211 others at a memorial service for Iran’s former top general, Qassim Suleimani, who was killed by a U.S. drone strike four years before.
The original article contains 340 words, the summary contains 188 words. Saved 45%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!