Black Widow in Sochi
Authorities in Sochi have reason to believe a "black widow" suicide bomber has breached the security ring set up for the Olympic Games.
Sochi police have started an urgent search for Ruzanna Ibragimova, who is affiliated with the terrorist group the Caucasus Emirate. The Emirate’s leader is Doku Umarov, though some question whether he is still alive (see below).
"The fact that one individual either was able to stay in the area before the ring of steel went up or get through it really raises questions about the strength of the Russia security apparatus," Christopher Swift, a Georgetown University professor, said to ABC News.
Ibragimova’s husband was a known Islamist militant in Dagestan and was gunned down in a police shootout last year.
Authorities started distributing wanted posters with Ibragimova’s likeness Friday in hotels and airports.
It is unclear if Ibragimova is acting alone, or if there are other security threats in the area.
American Concerns
A number of U.S. officials have concerns that those visiting Russia will not be adequately protected from possible terrorist threats.
The concern reportedly stems from Russia’s reluctance to cooperate and share information with other countries to ensure security is at its best.
"There’s a long history of cooperation between nations who are hosting the Olympics and the United States government and the United States intelligence community, in particular, and we did not get that cooperation with the Russians," said former CIA deputy director Mike Morell in an interview that aired on CBS.
When asked why, Morell said, "I think fundamentally, they don’t want to admit that they don’t have complete control here and that they might need some help."
"I think they think this is a politically embarrassing situation for them -- they’re not going to share," said U.S. congressman Mike Rogers. "That’s really the wrong attitude when you’re talking about an international event in a place where we’ve seen successful and targeted events."
Chechen Militant Assumed Dead
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov says he is "99.9 percent certain" that self-proclaimed leader of the Caucasus Emirate Doku Umarov is dead.
Umarov called upon Islamic Militants to "disrupt" the Olympics back in July.
Kadyrov is the current head of the Chechen Republic, to which he was appointed by Vladimir Putin in 2007. Kadyrov is a former rebel fighter who defected to the Russian side during the Second Chechen War.
"We are 99.9 percent sure [Umarov is dead]; that’s why all the talk about a threat to the Sochi Olympics is groundless," Kadyrov said on his website Friday.
Former director of the Federal Security Service, Russia’s central security agency, Nikolai Kovalyov echoed the belief that Umarov is dead, despite confirmation from rebel groups.
"I’m sure Kadyrov is fully in control of the situation and that he’s getting objective information. In this case, I believe in the information," Koyalyov said by phone to Bloomberg News.
Others are not so quick to place faith in the reports out of Russia.
Glen Howard, president of the Jamestown Foundation, which specializes in security matters throughout Europe and Asia, tells Around the Rings the reports may be "propaganda."
"Kadyrov will from time to time make this statement about the death of Umarov to get people to write an article," Howard told ATR by email.
"In this case, he made the announcement to move attention away from the Volgograd bombings and the inability of the Russian security service to stop these attacks."
SAS Protection for Team GB
Olympians from Great Britain will receive protection from the country’s Special Air Service, according to media reports.
In addition, team officials have been meeting regularly with anti-terrorism officers at Scotland Yard to keep abreast of the latest intelligence.
Team GB, however, declined to confirm the reports.
"As with previous Olympic Games, we will have security personnel as part of our delegation," a Team GB spokesperson tells Around the Rings.
"However, we do not disclose the exact number of security personnel, nor do we discuss where those individuals will be based or who they represent professionally."
Russia will also provide a number of personnel to ensure the safety of each team.
Security measures for those visiting Sochi have come under scrutiny, especially in the wake of the bombings of a bus and a railway station last month in Volgograd.
Written by Nick Devlin and Aaron Bauer
20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.
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