Islamic State Threatens ‘Putin the Apostate’ with Attacks on Russian Soil

The Islamic State’s latest propaganda video targets Russia, referring to President Vladimir Putin as an “apostate,” threatening imminent terror attacks, and calling upon Russian Muslims to seize territory and implement sharia law.

The Jerusalem Post reports the video comes from the “Caucasus Province,” a group of Russian Islamists who pledged allegiance to ISIS “Caliph” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in June 2015.

A succinct description of the full video is provided by the JPost:

The video begins with a news report which was broadcast on a Russian TV channel about a deadly car bombing that struck the town of Dzhemikent in Dagestan province on February 15, killing two Russian police officers. The video later presents the alleged Caucasus Province militant who carried out the attack. The video claims to show the perpetrator, Abu Abdurahman, speaking about the importance of “striking the apostates.”

The group’s deputy emir, Abu Yasser, is also seen in the recording calling on Muslims in Russia to emigrate to the ‘province’ and join it, and if they cannot do so – “target the apostates wherever they are, using a rope or a knife.”

He further states: “Today we do not have a place where we can implement Sharia. Thanks to Allah, we have many brave brothers here with us and millions of Muslims in Russia. Let’s get together my brothers, seize a territory and expand it.”

“If someone does not find us, he shall start killing Russian apostates on his own. It is not difficult to find weapons in Russia.”

“I would like to tell all the brothers in the Caucasus Province and in Russia that Allah has given us this iron missile, and we will use it against the Taghut (apostate) Putin and his friends, the dogs.”

The video ends with an execution of a supposedly agent of the Russian intelligence, who is shot by … one of the province’s fighters,” he states.

The UK Independent notes that ISIS militants executed at least five Russian nationals in the North Caucasus in December, after accusing them of being spies. Russian officials estimate that ISIS now has at least 1,000 Russian members.

Newsweek reports that Russian state security and law-enforcement agencies had not commented on the video as of Monday evening. Russia’s RT.com said the execution of the “Russian spy” in the video had not been officially confirmed as of Tuesday morning.