Islamic State releases video to show beheading of Russian 'spy'

Beirut: The Islamic State jihadist group released a video on Thursday purporting to show the execution of an alleged Russian spy in Syria. The video, which was circulated on social media, showed a prisoner wearing the orange tunic and trousers often seen on captives in Islamic State’s videos. It is the first video from the group to show the apparent execution of a Russian since Moscow began air strikes in support of Syria’s government on 30 September. [caption id=“attachment_2531292” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  AFP image.[/caption] Speaking in Russian, the detainee allegedly confesses to being recruited by Russian intelligence to gather information on Islamic State and its members from the Caucasus. A Russian-speaking fighter then addresses Moscow directly, warning that its forces will be defeated and its troops killed. The video, which bears the logo of the group’s media office in the Syrian province of Raqa, ends with the beheading of the detainee. Islamic State has claimed the execution before of alleged Russian spies. In January, it released a video purporting to show a young boy shooting dead two men accused of working for Russian intelligence services. Islamic State controls large swathes of Syria and Iraq, which it rules as a self-declared “caliphate.” The city of Raqa, in Syria’s northern Raqa province, is a stronghold of the group and its de facto Syrian capital. AFP