ISIS threatens to attack the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia

ISIS propaganda chiefs have threatened to carry out a terror attack at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

The terrorist group published an image of an ISIS fighter carrying a rifle and a bomb while standing in front of a football stadium. The official symbol of the 2018 World Cup finals is also included in the photo which is interpreted as an alarming promise to bring mayhem to the tournament.


The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be played across 11 cities in Russia from 14 June to 15 July, when the final will be played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

Tens of thousands of England fans are expected to base themselves in St Petersburg for the month-long finals. St Petersburg, Russia's second largest city, was the scene of a horrific ISIS attack when a briefcase bomb detonated on the underground in April, killing 14 people. The blast was in retaliation for Russia's airstrikes in Syria that have helped bring the regime to its knees.

Last week ISIS released another propaganda image featuring bullet-ridden photos of President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, while inviting its followers to stage more attacks on the group's two leading foes abroad.

The image was shared throughout pro-ISIS channels on the encrypted messaging application Telegram and attributed to Al-Wafaa Media Foundation. It featured an excerpt of a Quranic verse manipulated by the ISIS followers to urge fellow jihadis to take every opportunity to conduct deadly attacks in the U.S. and Russia. Despite the jihadis suffering severe territorial losses to military campaigns sponsored by Moscow and Washington, the image also claimed that ISIS would overcome its enemies on the battlefield.

The text beneath photos of Trump and Putin pasted to gun target practice sheets reads: "Lie in wait for them at every chance to ambush. The Levant is the graveyard of the Russians and Americans."