DISINFO: US and Israel might be behind the terror attack in Kerman
SUMMARY
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the terror attack at the mausoleum of Qassem Soleimani in the Iranian city of Kerman. But this should fool nobody: ISIS members are not what they used to be, and they would never organise a terror attack by themselves. But the possible escalation to come in the Middle East is beneficial for other actors. ISIS has nothing to do with the attack in Kerman, but there is speculation that the US and Israel forced it to take responsibility, fearing Iran’s retaliation.
RESPONSE
Immediately after the terror attack in Kerman, multiple terrorism experts in the world pointed to ISKP/IS-K, the Afghan branch of the Islamic State, as the most likely culprit, based on the modus operandi and other elements. In the following days, this organization credibly claimed responsibility for the attack, including the release of a video of the bay’ah (Islamic allegiance) from the two suspected suicide bombers for the current Islamic State leader. US intelligence also intercepted conversations among senior members of this terror group confirming their culpability.
By dismissing this corpus of evidence and pointing instead to Israel and the US, this disinformation story aims to promote a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the West’s alleged support for terrorist organisations.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the US instigated, funded, backed and protected Al Qaeda and the Islamic State during the war on terror, that the hand of the West is behind terrorism in Africa, that France coaches, trains and equips terrorists in Africa, or that the US is recruiting jihadists in Syria for terrorist attacks inside Russia.