Russian diplomat warns OSCE of threat on new possibilities for terrorist attacks amid pandemic

Social and economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic may entail radicalization of population in some countries and create favorable conditions for recruiting supporters to terrorist organizations, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov said on Monday during an OSCE online conference on combating terrorism.

According to the Russian senior diplomat, the threat of terrorism has not paled into insignificance, on the contrary, it has gained a new dimension. “As a result of lockdowns imposed by the government of most of world nations at the beginning of the year and reduction of social activities, terrorists have switched to the internet and social network, making a wider use of contactless methods of propagating fake information and calls for terror and violence of various ideological orientation,” he said.

“We cannot rule out that social and economic impacts of the coronavirus crisis in a number of countries may lead to the radicalization of the population, create additional possibilities for terrorist organizations to recruit new members, stage terror attacks and propaganda actions,” he stressed.

Source: TASS News