How is that for a headline? A number of videos have appeared on Telegram purporting to show the Tajik POV of their attack (WARNING — Very Violent) and the response of Russian security forces — also quite brutal. The circumstantial evidence revealed so far certainly supports the claim that this was a Ukrainian operation poorly disguised as an ISIS-K attack and that the United States was clued in on what was expected to happen. Despite the “War Porn” nature of these videos, I think there is some benefit from posting them.

I want to start, however, with the U.S. and Western insistence that this was an ISIS-K operation. How in the world did the U.S. determine that “fact” so quickly? Here is my suggestion (Note to Babylon Bee, feel free to steal) — the people who so quickly mustered still unseen evidence to conclude that it was not Ukraine, but a team of murdering Islamic extremists should be immediately assigned to conduct a similarly expedited analysis of who blew up NordStream. They should be able to get to the bottom of that by Monday morning. Once they’ve knocked that out then they should turn their attention to the Kennedy Assassination. It is about time we had some definitive answers on that. Their ability to ferret out the “truth” about who was responsible for the heinous attack before the attack had concluded and while suspects were still roaming the Crocus Concert facility shooting unarmed civilians suggests that they have some remote viewing capability that is world class.

Okay. Enough sarcasm. This snippet from a Wikipedia page is being circulated by Western sources as part of their effort to implicate ISIS-K in the attack. There is no information on any Russian Telegram channel (so far) about this guy suggesting he had any role in the Crocus attack. The next photo is a different story.

Shamsiddin Fariduni, arrested terrorist suspect

This photo that emerged today of Shamsiddin Fariduni, one of the terrorist suspects, who was visiting Crocus on the same day that US Embassy Moscow warned American citizens to stay away from places like Crocus because of an imminent terrorist attack is one more piece of circumstantial evidence suggesting the Americans knew more about the terrorist plans than they shared with Russian security forces. What did US Embassy Moscow know about the impending attack and when did they know it?

The following video shows evidence, in my opinion, that these guys were not highly trained, skilled operators. You will see one shooter go through a doorway and shoot supine victims at close range with 7.62 x 39 ammunition. He demonstrates rudimentary room entry skills and is not behaving like a tactical operator. He is just randomly pointing and firing. You will see him later in the video casually holding the rifle in his right hand. The group as a whole are not moving in a tactical formation nor do they appear to have any specific objective in mind. They are just wandering around doing murder and mayhem.

Here we have a video that claims to record the apprehension of one of the Tajik suspects. The Russian Security force personnel are quite pissed and not at all concerned about being accused of “police brutality.” It appears they were under strict orders to capture alive. Otherwise, I think they would have shot him on the spot.

Crocus terrorist is apprehended by security services. They subject him to immediate, hard interrogation.

WARNING — This is brutal and disturbing. One Russian security guy decides to lop off part of the ear of the suspect — it appears to be Mr. Rachabulizoda Saidakrami Muradali– and then tries to make the Tajik eat it. I understand the emotion and fury the Russians felt but this was a breakdown in the chain of command. An officer should have intervened and ordered his guy to stand down. Before any Westerners try to go sanctimonious and lecture Russians about their conduct, I would remind all that the U.S. Department of Defense shit-canned the photos of Bin Laden’s body because the Navy SEALS who shot him completely desecrated the body. Just saying that Americans live in a glass house if they are thinking about throwing rocks of complaints at the Russians for their behavior.

NOTE: The videos below were inserted by the editor, not the author.

I would note there are subsequent videos showing that someone in the chain of command finally took charge, had Rachabulizoda Saidakrami Muradali bandaged up and treated. However, Muradali did take quite a beating

A court in Moscow held a preliminary hearing in closed session on four suspects in the Crocus attack. They are:

Dalerjon Mirzoyev.

Rachabulizoda Muradali.

Shamsiddin Fariduni.

Muhammadsober Fayzov.

Lots to cover with respect to Friday’s mercenary terrorist attack in Moscow. Why do I call it “mercenary”? Because it appears that the perps had no ideological axe to grind and were hired for a relatively paltry sum and carried out indiscriminate killing at a public gathering of civilians. Based on the video evidence released so far in the public domain the planning for this op was not the work of skilled professionals — e.g., they used the same vehicle to travel to and from the attack site, their movements inside the building demonstrated unsophisticated Close Quarter Battle skills and they had poor muzzle discipline, which means they had minimal rifle training.

The Russians got a jump on the investigation because one of the concert goers coldcocked one of the shooters, and the shooter was captured alive. The Russians also followed the escape vehicle and nabbed four of the suspects as they skedaddled for Ukraine. The western media is doing its damnedest to push the storyline that this was an ISIS attack and dismiss the possibility that it could have been Ukraine. But the initial questioning of the suspects revealed men of limited intelligence — i.e., guys who are not too smart — who told a cock and bull story that they were recruited via a telegram channel by an anonymous source who offered to pay them the princely sum of $5000. There also is no good explanation why a band of Tajiks were hightailing it for the Ukrainian border. At a minimum that shows a belief that they would find safehaven if they could get across the border. They certainly did not behave like diehard jihadist warriors eager to sacrifice themselves and go to Paradise and cash in the reward of 72 virgins.

I think the Islamic terrorism claim is a red herring and designed to shift attention away from the other indicators that some in the West, at a minimum, had foreknowledge of this attack. How else to explain the March 7 warning by US Embassy Moscow for American citizens to steer clear of event, such as concerts? And then, as I wrote yesterday, the US State Department was quick to issue a claim exonerating Ukraine for any role in the attack. The fires were still raging at the Crocus facility. That means only one thing — the State Department had intelligence indicating who carried out the attack. But the U.S. apparently did not share that with its Russian counterparts. That lapse alone is simply going to stoke more suspicion in Moscow about Western involvement.

But we already know one thing for sure — that the West has been involved with facilitating a series of terrorist attacks against Russians since the start of the special military operation. What else do you call the artillery and missile strikes on Russian civilians in the Donbass,] and in Belgorod, with munitions that were supplied by the United States and other major NATO countries? At a minimum, that makes western powers an accessory to an act of terror.

Friday’s senseless slaughter of civilians in Moscow serves no broad, political purpose, nor does it advance Ukraine’s military prospects in anyway. It is important to note that the attack has rallied world sympathy for Russia, including some conciliatory comments out of Washington by National Security spokesman John Kirby. However, it is also important to note the President Joe Biden has said nothing, and has made no contact with Vladimir Putin to express sorrow or empathy. Quite a contrast with Biden’s actions in the wake of the news that Alexey Navalny, a political opponent of Vladimir Putin, had died. Biden was quick to express his fake grief for the death of Navalny.

It appears that the growing death toll from the attack was not caused by bullets, but by smoke inhalation. I still have seen no report explaining how the fire got started. Some speculate that it was caused by a Molotov cocktail. I’m sure those details will be coming out in the next few days. It is also clear from President Putin’s demeanor during his speech today that Russia will retaliate against those responsible for this attack.

I do not think that this act of terrorism is going to change Russia’s military strategy and plans for Ukraine. News from the front shows that Russian forces are continuing to advance all along the front in the Donbass, and are pushing the Ukrainians back towards the Dnieper River. The position of the Ukrainian military is becoming more precarious with each passing day.

As far identifying those responsible for organizing and funding this attack, I have no special insight. I am confident that Russian investigators will be able to trace the origin of the firearms, assuming the serial numbers have not been erased. At this juncture, I am inclined to believe that the West knew something was going to happen based on intelligence out of Ukraine, but did not have specifics other than this was an operation approved by Ukraine’s intelligence service. Is it possible that some British and/or American intelligence officers had an inkling of what was going to happen? Yes, I think that is highly likely. The one thing I know for certain is that this attack is going to strengthen the will of President Putin, the Russian general staff, and Russia’s intelligence service to put an end to NATO meddling in Ukraine, and the ability of NATO proxies to attack the Russian people. Whoever approved this badly miscalculated and will pay a terrible, but well deserved, price.

So what do you think? Western directed or rogue operation?