Last week’s ISIS terrorist attack outside of Moscow, Russia, highlighted concerns from U.S. officials about the group’s increased capabilities abroad.
Four gunmen opened fire on Friday evening with automatic weapons at Crocus City Hall, a crowded concert venue, killing at least 137 people and injuring more. The assailants also set it on fire, leading to a partial collapse. The attack represents the terrorist group’s desire and capability to carry out significant attacks outside the Middle East.
Moscow’s Basmanny District Court charged Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, 32; Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, 30; Shamsidin Fariduni, 25; and Mukhammadsobir Faizov, 19, with committing a group terrorist attack resulting in the death of others. They appeared severely beaten when they arrived in court on Sunday. If convicted, they face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Others have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the attack as well.
U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson affirmed that ISIS “bears sole responsibility for this attack.” She also noted that the U.S. warned Moscow in early March about a potential terrorist attack, while a U.S. official confirmed to the Washington Examiner that they had knowledge that ISIS-K was planning said attack.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow also warned publicly on March 7 about the possibility of an attack. A day after the U.S. Embassy’s warning, the Russian Federal Security Service, commonly known as the FSB, said it prevented an armed attack at a Moscow synagogue by members of the Islamic State.
ISIS-Khorasan is the Islamic State offshoot that is primarily based in Afghanistan. They have benefited from the Taliban’s rise to power in August 2021, as the U.S. military was set to depart the country after 20 years of war. The Taliban, during their rise to power, released thousands of fighters from prisons in Afghanistan, allowing captured fighters to rejoin the ranks.
“ISIS-K and its allies retain a safe haven in Afghanistan, and they continue to develop their networks in and out of the country. Their goals do not stop there. They have called for attacks globally on anyone not aligned with their extremist ideology, and Taliban efforts to suppress the group have proven insufficient,” Gen. Michael Kurilla, the commander of U.S. Central Command, said on Capitol Hill earlier this month before the attack.
“I assess ISIS-Khorasan retains the capability and will to attack U.S. and Western interests abroad in as little as six months and with little to no warning,” he added, though he noted it would likely take longer for the group to develop the capabilities to attack the U.S. homeland.
“Our Central and South Asian partners repeatedly share their concern over ISIS’s pursuit of opportunity and capability to conduct external operations,” he said in his written testimony. “The Taliban targeted some key ISIS-Khorasan leaders in 2023, but it has shown neither the capability nor the intent to sustain adequate counterterrorism pressure. In fact, this lack of sustained pressure allowed ISIS-K to regenerate and harden their networks, creating multiple redundant nodes that direct, enable, and inspire attacks.”
The terrorist attack last week prompted Italy and France to step up their security.
ISIS-K carried out a bombing in early January in Iran near the burial site of slain military commander Qassem Soleimani. At least 84 people were killed and more than 280 were injured on Jan. 3. The U.S. also warned Tehran about the potential for a terrorist attack preemptively.
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U.S. defense officials have worried about the threat from ISIS-K since the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan.
Kurilla’s predecessor, retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, said in December 2021 that the U.S. “should expect a resurgent ISIS,” while Colin Kahl, former undersecretary of defense for policy, warned in October 2021 that ISIS could develop the ability to carry out attacks on the U.S. “somewhere between six or twelve months.”