ISIS claims female Russian spy infiltrated terror network

Washington, May 10: A Russian woman spy infiltrated ISIS ranks and before being executed passed on key information due to which many jihadists lost their lives, the terror group has claimed.

An article titled "Elvira Karaeva -- Agent of the Russian Special Services" in Istok, the Islamic State's Russian- language online magazine, focuses on the woman whom ISIS in the Caucasus accused of being an agent of the Russian intelligence services.

Karaeva worked as a spy for four years, during which she secretly passed along information on the jihadi groups in the Caucasus, including locations and photographs of ISIS fighters, Fox News reported citing the article.

The article notes that although Karaeva was questioned by ISIS' "investigative authorities," she was able to convince them of her innocence. But when the terror network used a "cunning investigative maneuver," the woman confessed and was later executed by an ISIS member, according to the article.

"Elvira the apostate gave information to the Russian special services about our brothers and sisters waging jihad...in the Caucasus Province," the article was quoted as saying. "She shamelessly wormed her way into confidence...and then disclosed their (jihadists) location and contacts, thus making them easy prey for the henchmen of taghut," the article states.

"Because of her contemptible actions and close contacts with the FSB (Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation), many of our brothers and sisters became martyrs," it said. The woman was summoned for questioning more than once by the "investigating authorities" of the Caliphate, the article said.

"But every time she invented stories, twisting the facts. In her conversation with the investigators, she often lied and distorted the true meaning of events. Although our brothers had many valid reasons to detain her, they released her every time, trusting her word," it said.

The woman -- whose identity has not been confirmed by Russia -- provided the Kremlin with the location of safe houses, secret bases, and positions of ISIS members, according to the terror network.

The article claims the woman was caught on an audio recording speaking about her role with the Russian intelligence services. It also said that she was married to a jihadist, named Abu Muslim, whom she killed by poisoning.

The fourth issue of Istok was released May 2 by ISIS's Al-Hayat Media Center and translated by MEMRI's newly-launched Russian Media Studies Project, which released excerpts of the article in English yesterday.

PTI