ISIS cell in Russian Caucasus issues threats in new video

A Russian terrorist group which pledged allegiance to Islamic State has issued a video call to arms to millions of Muslims in Russia, urging them to carry out attacks against the population and government.

In the video, published March 6, a Caucasus-based branch of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) calls itself “warriors” of the group’s global leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. They also use Russian throughout the video, which has since been taken off YouTube, Gazeta.ru reports.  

A shortened version containing just the threats is still up on the Jerusalem Post’s website.

The complete version reportedly starts with footage of a car bomb being detonated recently by a jihadist in Dagestan, a republic in southern Russia.

The terrorists describe the myriad ways in which they want Russian Muslims to rise up against the country’s government and carry out attacks on civilians. A black banner appears in the background as the six men of Caucasus descent issue threats.

The group, which declared its allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in June of last year, talks about not having its own piece of land to practice its form of Sharia within Russia, and sees this as a call to arms. Abu Yasser, one of the men speaking in the video, also talks of the group’s intention of expanding its Russian territory.

READ MORE: Al-Nusra militants in Syria shell Turkey to prompt return fire – Russian military

Aside from threats issued in several languages, the footage also shows an alleged Russian special agent being executed. No official confirmation of this exists, however.