The Islamic State terrorist group has called on followers to avenge its recently killed leader and take advantage of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine to carry out terror attacks in Europe.
On Sunday, Abu Omar al-Muhajir, the spokesman for the Islamic State, announced that the terror group would be seeking revenge for the death of its former leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hachimi al-Qurashi, who died after blowing himself up during a united states special forces operation in Syria in February.
“We are announcing, relying on God, a blessed campaign to take revenge,” al-Muhajir said and called don Islamic State followers and members to engage in attacks using the “opportunity” of the “crusader fight”, a term used previously by the group to describe the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Le Figaro reports.
Last month, the terrorist group celebrated the Russia-Ukraine conflict stating that the conflict was a “divine punishment” and said, “What is happening today, the direct bloody war between the Orthodox crusaders – Russia and Ukraine – is but one example of God’s punishment for them, as described in the Qu’ran.”
The group has also previously called for supporters to take advantage of the conflict by urging Islamic extremists to travel to Ukraine and procure weapons.
“To the brothers, supporters of the Islamic State in Russia and Ukraine: Seize the opportunity, brothers, and collect weapons – for weapons have been widely distributed to civilians – then attack the crusaders,” a member of the terror group said.
The threat of attacks from the Islamic State and its followers remains high in many parts of Europe. Last month, the Italian intelligence services released a report claiming terror groups were actively talking among themselves about attacking the city of Rome.
The Dipartimento delle Informazioni per la Sicurezza (DIS) stated that major Roman landmarks, such as the Colosseum could be targets as well as the Vatican and Pope Francis himself.
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