On January 15, 2020, a video was uploaded to the Internet showing Syrian Jihadi cleric Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Mahdi standing among destroyed buildings in Ariha, Syria. In the video, Al-Mahdi said that Russia has been responsible for bombings and the deaths of Muslims in Syria. He called on Muslim youth in Russia, Chechnya, and Dagestan to “seek revenge for Allah’s religion” by planting car bombs and carrying out attacks in the heart of Moscow and other Russian cities. He emphasized that the Muslims have the right to wage Jihad in Russia.
Following are excerpts:
Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Mahdi: Oh Muslims, this is Ariha. Look at the destruction! Just a little while ago we were in Idlib. There were bombs, there was destruction, and there were fires. There were dead people under the rubble – men, women, and children. Oh Muslims, take a look around! Oh Muslims, where are you? Oh Islamic youth… Oh Islamic youth in Russia, Chechnya, and Dagestan, seek revenge for Allah’s religion. Seek revenge for the women, the bereaved, and the orphans in Syria. We must confront this Russian hostility by carrying out [attacks] in the heart of Moscow and other Russian cities.
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Muslims in Russia, Chechnya, Dagestan, and everywhere have the right to exact revenge for the Muslims in Syria, and to carry out bombings and [plant] car bombs in the heart of Moscow and in other Russian cities.
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Oh brothers, Jihad in the heart of Moscow and in other Russian cities is legitimate. Take a look, oh brothers. See what is going on in Syria.