India yet to get formal evidence from Russia on Islamic State suicide bomber's arrest: Report

Russia on Monday reportedly arrested an Islamic State suicide bomber. The attacker was tasked with killing of India's leadership elite for the offensive remarks on Prophet Mohammed.

However, Indian government officials said the formal sharing of evidence of the matter from Russia is awaited, News18 quoted sources as saying. The officials said it is unclear as of now if the suspect had an Indian visa or visa to a third country through which he planned to enter India.

On Monday, Russia's top intelligence agency said it has detained an ISIS terrorist from a Central Asian country who underwent special training to carry out a suicide attack.

According to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), the foreign national was recruited by one of the Islamic State's ringleaders as a suicide bomber sometime between April and June 2022, while in Turkey, state-owned TASS news agency reported.

"The Federal Security Service has identified and apprehended in Russia a member of the outlawed (by the Russian Federation) Islamic State international terrorist organisation. The detainee is a native of a Central Asian country, who planned to commit a terrorist attack against a member of India's ruling circles by blowing himself up," the FSB said.

The terrorist's "ideological indoctrination was conducted remotely via Telegram messenger accounts and during personal meetings in Istanbul with an IS representative," the Russian Federal Security Service's Center for Public Relations (CPR) said.

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The FSB noted that the would-be suicide bomber swore allegiance to the IS Emir (chief), after which he was instructed to leave for Russia, draw up the necessary documents and fly to India to commit this act of terrorism, the report said.

The terrorist confessed that he was preparing an act of terrorism against a member of India's ruling circles for insulting the Prophet Muhammad, the report added.

In a video of his interrogation released by the CPR on Monday, the would-be suicide bomber, whose face was blurred, said he swore allegiance to the IS Emir in April 2022 and underwent special training, after which he flew to Russia, from where he was to travel to India.

"I was supposed to be given things there (in India) to commit a terrorist attack at the behest of the IS for insulting the Prophet Muhammad," he said while speaking in broken Russian.

Recruitment of youths to the outfit from India and their radicalisation is a matter of serious concern for the country especially with regard to its likely impact on national security when such youth return to India, the Home Ministry has said while banning the terrorist group.

The Islamic State/Islamic State of Iraq and Levant/ Islamic State of Iraq and Syria/Daesh and all its manifestations have been declared outlawed in India under UAPA, a notification issued by the Ministry said last year.