Is the Islamic State Attack in Russia Just the Beginning?

What’s happening: Last week, Tajik terrorists affiliated with the Islamic State in Khorasan (ISIS-K) attacked a concert hall in Moscow, killing 139 people. (Khorasan loosely refers to Afghanistan and Central Asia).

Why it matters: The attack demonstrates the importance of governments taking terror threats seriously, as Moscow could be the first target in a wave of incoming terrorist actions orchestrated by ISIS-K.

Catch up: ISIS-K operates primarily out of Afghanistan. The group was quick to claim responsibility for the massacre in Moscow.

• What do they want? Like its parent organization, ISIS-K seeks a global Islamic caliphate and is among the most extreme Islamic organizations in existence.

Why Russia? Many Islamists see Russia — which has a long imperial history in Muslim areas like Chechnya and Central Asia — as a major enemy. Russia was heavily involved in the international campaign against ISIS in Syria.

Prior warnings: Both the U.S. and the U.K. warned Russia’s government about an imminent attack; just days before it was carried out, President Putin dismissed Western claims as “blackmail.”

Blaming Ukraine: Putin admitted the attackers were Islamists but implied that Ukraine was responsible. Russia claimed that the attackers intended to flee to Ukraine, but Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko refuted this. Vladimir Putin remains steadfast in blaming Ukraine and the West for the attack.

The European threat: Several ISIS-K plots targeting cathedrals in Germany and Austria last December were thwarted by intelligence services.

The American threat: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio warned about ISIS-K infiltrating America’s open southern border. One American general said that ISIS-K could attack the U.S. or Europe “without warning.”