Russia's Dagestan Leader Calls International Terrorist The Mastermind Of The Attack That Killed 22 People

Badminton Gyanzhevi Gadzhibalayev / TASS

JAKARTA - The leader of the Dagestan region, the majority of whom are Muslim population in Russia, said security threats came from international terrorist organizations over an attack that killed 22 people on June 23.

Western security experts say the attack is further evidence Russia is busy with war in Ukraine, facing increasingly major problems with domestic Islamist militant violence. But Melikov insists the threat comes from outside.

The main threat factor affecting the situation in this republic is the increasing activity of international terrorist organizations, state news agency RIA quoted a statement reported by Reuters on Monday, July 1.

"And it doesn't matter how they try to convince us that the incident in Dagestan happened internally, I will never believe this," he added.

He said there was direct and indirect evidence that showed the role of our 'direct enemy' in the attack, but did not specify who they were or what the evidence was.

"And in this case, Western instructors or others do not need to be in the Dagestan area, because currently special services and leaders of terrorist organizations use the Internet, social networks, and may affect training and ideology. the condition of people who are able to commit these crimes," he added.

The attack on Dagestan came three months after gunmen stormed a concert building near Moscow, firing automatic weapons and burning them, killing 145 people in a massacre claimed by the Islamic State militant group.