Experts call in question version on detention of a terrorist in Maikop

According to veterans of the special services interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot", a FSB video depicting the detention of a terrorist in the capital of Adygea looks staged. A version stating that terrorists decided to choose Maikop for an explosion in a shopping centre also raises doubts, Caucasian experts point out.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 17, the FSB reported about the detention of a native of Central Asia, a supporter of the "Islamic State" (IS, a terrorist organization, banned in Russia by the court, – note of the "Caucasian Knot").

Gennady Gudkov, Reserve FSB Colonel, a former member of the Russian State Duma, called the footage of the video, disseminated by law enforcers, a theatrical performance. The law enforcement bodies have discredited their activities over recent years, which raises doubts about their work, Gennady Gudkov adds.

Akhmet Yarlykapov, Senior Researcher at the Centre for Caucasian Studies and Regional Security at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (known as MGIMO), emphasizes his doubts raised by the version that the terrorists chose Maikop to commit a terror act. "The very choice [by the terrorists] of Maikop is surprising, since it is a quiet, calm town. It is more logical to assume that a terrorist would choose Krasnodar than Maikop," the expert told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to Akhmet Yarlykapov, the demonstration of the operational footage by the law enforcers is a message to society about their effective work, as well as their way to justify the financing of special operations.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 19, 2021 at 12:05 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.