White Widow Hunted By US And Russian Security Forces
Four potential female terrorists including Ruzanna Ibragimova, a “white widow,” are currently the subject of a hunt by Russian security agents and US counterterrorism operatives.
The wife of the jihadist killed by security forces in Russia and is believed to be travelling to Sochi from Dagestan. Photos and a bulletin were distributed by the Sochi security officials and the FSG to other security organizations. The bulletin indicated that the terrorists may have penetrated the security cordon.
The term “white widow” is used for widows of jihadists who fit in before launching attacks.
US counterterrorism forces are collaborating with Russian security forces in searching for the terrorists inside the security zone for the upcoming winter games. The bulletin indicated that leaders of illegal groups may be using Ruzanna Ibragimova in organizing terrorist acts inside the security zone.
Ibragimova may have travelled into Sochi on January 11 and was seen near the foreign ministry recently. Around forty thousand security personnel were deployed by Russia around Sochi to prevent attacks by militants from the North Caucasus republics.
Recent attacks have resulted to increasing concerns on the security in Sochi. The involvement of US intelligence and security forces were mainly due to the presence of US athletes in the games, which make them targets for terroristic attacks.
The bus and train station bombings were claimed by a group called Vilayat Dagestan through a video posted over the internet recently. Two men on the video indicated that more bombings should be expected.
The video emerged before the Olympic torch relay was set to pass through Volgograd. The video is currently being evaluated by US officials. In addition to the white widow, Ruzanna Ibragimova, and the other women, security forces are also looking for militants who may have killed six people in the region.