BEIRUT, March 28. /TASS/. The masterminds behind the Crocus City Hall attack chose terrorists affiliated with the Islamic State terror group (IS, ISIS, outlawed in Russia) for a reason, says Jamal Wakim, professor at Lebanese University and an expert on Islamic fundamentalism.
"Those who recruited mercenaries from a terrorist structure based in the Middle East to strike the heart of Russia had a far-reaching goal - to drive a wedge between Moscow and the Islamic world," the political pundit told TASS.
According to Wakim, "the insidious plan was to sow religious hatred in Russia, to try to destabilize its internal situation and thus try to prevent Russian forces from winning on the Ukrainian front."
"It would be appropriate to ask why ISIS would need to stage such a large-scale terror attack in Russia in the middle of the conflict in the Gaza Strip," the expert said. "Why have the terrorists not carried out a single act of sabotage against Israel or American bases in the region, but continue to kill soldiers and civilians in the eastern part of Syria?"
There is only one answer, he underscored - "the collective West is frustrated by Russia’s strengthening economic ties with Arab and Islamic states, who are sympathetic to Moscow’s policy of setting down a fair multipolar world order." In his opinion, the UK, the US and France are ready to use any means necessary to stop this partnership.
However, Wakim noted that after the bloodshed at Crocus City Hall, the way things unfolded didn’t match with the Western narrative.
"Many Eastern leaders were among the first to express their condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin," the expert underscored. "This display of solidarity with the Russian leadership showed that the hostile plans being made against Russia do not meet the interests of Arab and Islamic nations."