Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing its sources, that the attackers who targeted the Crocus concert hall in Moscow were recruited via the "Voice of Khorasan”, a Telegram channel affiliated with ISIS Khorasan.
The channel was active in attracting audiences from Tajikistan.
RIA Novosti wrote on Wednesday, "Our investigation into one individual showed that the audience of this channel was being recruited for terrorist attacks. Similarly, we discovered that individuals involved in the Crocus Hall attack were recruited through the Voice of Khorasan channel."
The agency noted that the Voice of Khorasan channel is now inaccessible in Russia and Tajikistan, and appears to have been removed.
Telegram is a popular network among ISIS and other extremist groups in Central Asia, as it is less stringent about the dissemination of propaganda and violent content compared to other social media platforms like Meta.
Citing RIA Novosti, a Russian Federal Security Service official accused the US and British intelligence of creating the channel, a claim Russian officials have repeatedly made in connection with the ISIS attack in recent days.
US officials have stated that they are monitoring ISIS Khorasan activities and had shared information related to the March 22 concert hall attack in Moscow with the Russian government earlier, which Russian officials, including the President, did not take seriously.
Meanwhile, RIA Novosti reported, citing a judicial official in Saint Petersburg, that a Tajik citizen was fined and expelled from Russia for membership with an ISIS Telegram group.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack on the concert hall, which resulted in at least 143 fatalities.
On Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that ISIS' planning and execution of this attack are implausible, accusing Ukraine and Western countries of being involved in the attack.
