ISIS spokesperson Abu Hudhaifa al-Ansari told “lone wolves” to mobilise and target Christians and Jewish people in the US, Europe and Israel.
An audio message released on the messaging platform Telegram saw al-Ansari urging terrorists to strike during the ongoing month of Ramadan.
Ramadan, the holy month in the Muslim calendar, began on March 11 this year, and is set to last until April 10.
The audio was shared by the Al-Furqan Foundation – the primary media production house of the Islamic State.
Little is known of the ISIS spokesperson, besides that he took on the post in August 2023 to replace Abu Omar al-Muhajir following his arrest.
This threat came less than a week after Moscow was left shocked by the deadliest terror attack on Russian soil in the past two decades.
More than 130 people were killed at the Crocus city hall on Friday night, an attack quickly claimed by ISIS-K, an offshoot of the Islamic State.
Four suspects – identified as Dalerjon Mirzoev, Faridun Shamsiddin, Muhammadsobir Faizov, and Saidakram Rajabalizoda – were caught after the attack.
On Sunday, they appeared before a Russian court presenting severe injuries.
In the wake of the massacre, France and Italy were among the countries raising their terror alert. French President Emmanuel Macron said earlier this week his country’s intelligence had confirmed that “an Islamic State entity fomented this attack and carried it out”.
He added: “This particular group, which is believed to be involved in this attack, has carried out several attempts on our soil in recent months.”