The terrorist group “Islamic State – Khorasan Province” (ISPK) is believed to have carried out the deadly attack in Moscow that resulted in 137 deaths. Experts warn: ISPK is one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the world – and Austria was also targeted.
The terrorist group “Islamic State – Khorasan Province” (ISPK) is one of the most dangerous in the world. The IS offshoot wants to establish a caliphate encompassing Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asian states. The group is not only fighting against the “West”, but also against the radical Islamic Taliban in Afghanistan.
The ISPK has between 4,000 and 6,000 fighters. At the beginning of the year, they killed around 100 people in an attack in Iran, and in January they carried out an attack in Istanbul. After the Koran burnings in Europe, the ISPK threatened attacks in the Netherlands and Sweden.
Several suspected ISPK members have been arrested in Germany and Austria in recent months. Two Afghans were planning an attack on the Swedish parliament in Thuringia and three men were arrested in Vienna the day before Christmas who were planning attacks on St Stephen’s Cathedral and Cologne Cathedral. They were also acting on behalf of the ISPK.
The leader of the terrorist group coordinated the attacks from the Netherlands: Mukhammadrajab B. (30), a Tajik who lived in Saarland until his arrest. He was the liaison officer to Vienna and was in contact with his compatriots, who were sheltering in an accommodation in Ottakring. In May 2023, B. received a directive from the ISPK in Afghanistan to carry out attacks in Cologne. He then met with Murad Tashbekovich I, a suspected member of the Vienna cell.
In December, Mukhammadrajab B. travelled to Vienna twice. Together with his accomplice Madad A., he is said to have scouted out St Stephen’s Cathedral. The two men filmed the church and watched the surveillance cameras. But the two Tajiks were not only targeting St Stephen’s Cathedral. They also spied on the famous Prater.
Mukhammadrajab B. and Madad A. met in asylum accommodation in the Ottakring district of Vienna to discuss the details of the attack which took place in December 2023. Madad A. and his wife (26) were arrested in a raid shortly before Christmas. Mukhammadrajab B. was initially able to flee, but was arrested on Christmas Eve in Wesel, Germany. He was extradited to Vienna in February and is currently in custody pending deportation.
Moskauer IS-Terrorzelle: Sie plante auch Anschläge in Österreich | Exxpress