“A number of ‘black widow’ suicide bombers – the wives of militants killed by Russian security forces – may already be within the ‘ring of steel’ at the upcoming winter Olympics in Sochi,” according to Tim Holt, head of intelligence at Alert:24, part of Willis’ Special Contingency Risks.
Expert analysts also assess the threat of a chemical or biological terrorist attack in the region during the Games as substantial, added Holt.
The posted WillisWire blog noted that “As spectators and athletes congregate ahead of the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games tomorrow, eighty thousand members of the Russian police, army and intelligence services have been deployed to ensure that the games are protected from violence.
“The greatest threat comes from the Caucasian Emirate a Jihadist Group linked to Chechen extremists responsible for several high profile terrorist attacks including the 2004 Beslan school massacre,” according to Holt.
Last July, the leader of the Caucasian Emirate, Doku Umarov urged his followers to put a stop to the Sochi Olympic Games – calling them a “satanic dance on the bones of our ancestors”.
Less widely reported is the threat posed by militants from the ‘break-away’ republic of Abkhazia, only kilometers away from the border, noted Holt. Officially part of Georgia, the region was invaded by Russia in 2008.
“The prominent threats originate from hate groups, lone wolf actors and domestic terrorist groups, predominantly from the North-Caucasus. Others wishing to do harm include Russian nationalist and neo-Nazi hate groups who may target ‘non-whites’ or lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LBGT) people and events,” Holt explained.
On a lesser, albeit distressing scale, criminality is expected to increase. “The deflection of violence from the Olympic venues themselves may result in attacks in the transport routes and hubs that feed the event. It is here amongst the crowded trains, packed hotels and airports that terrorists may still feed off the oxygen of Olympic publicity.”
Source: Willis’ Special Contingency Risks.
Topics Russia
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