The Russian envoy to Austria declared natives of the Northern Caucasus and the Balkans have been arrested in connection with the recent terror shootings in Austria. Russian Ambassador to Austria Dmitry Lyubinsky made the comments on Rossiya-1’s 60 Minutes TV show on Tuesday, reported Russian state news agency TASS.
“There have been reports of numerous detentions not only in the capital but also in a number of other Austrian cities,” he pointed out. “According to some reports, there are a number of natives of Balkan countries, Muslim countries and the North Caucasus among those detained. No details are available at the moment,” the envoy added.
The Balkans and North Caucasus have been hotbeds of Islamic extremism for decades. The Russian Federation fought two brutal wars against Chechen independence in the 1990s, which saw Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rise to power.
Islamic terror in Western Europe is on the rise. France has experienced multiple attacks in recent weeks, causing French President Macron to speak out against the dangers of Islamic extremism, which provoked a backlash from Turkish President Recep Erdgona, who sees himself as the new Neo-Ottoman sultan in the region.