Russian police won't call knife attack in Surgut ‘terrorism,’ but they're reportedly investigating accomplices for — wait for it — abetting terrorism

Russian police in Surgut have refused to say it was terrorism when 19-year-old Arthur Gadzhiyev non-fatally stabbed seven pedestrians over the weekend, but sources tell Radio Svoboda that officials have nonetheless charged two of Gadzhiyev’s acquaintances with aiding and abetting terrorism.

According to Radio Svoboda’s sources, the two men — Ilnar and Usman — are both from Dagestan, like Gadzhiyev, who was shot and killed by police after the stabbing spree. Ilnar and Usman allegedly shared Gadzhiyev’s extremist views and “prayed separately,” “without an imam.”

Radio Svoboda reports that the local community in Surgut considers worshippers like Gadzhiyev and his acquaintances to be extremists. This group of people reportedly stopped attending mosque after the installation of video surveillance cameras.

Sources close to the local Muslim community and the police tell Radio Svoboda that the authorities have detained at least 10 people, following the knife attack in Surgut. The list reportedly includes Naimzhon Ikromov, who studied with Gadzhiyev, though his relatives say the two men never spoke. After being taken in by police, Ikromov was jailed for 15 days for hooliganism. His lawyer was not allowed to attend the hearing.

Russian Investigative Committee head Alexander Bastrykin has taken personal command of the police response to the Surgut knife attack. Despite official refusals so far to classify the incident as an act of terrorism, the investigation increasingly seems to be treating terrorism — not the perpetrator's alleged insanity — as the likeliest motive for the attack.

On August 19, nineteen-year-old Arthur Gadzhiyev attacked seven pedestrians with a knife in the streets of Surgut, before being shot and killed by a police officer. Law enforcement agencies have said they are reviewing Gadzhiyev’s mental health as the leading explanation for his motive. A day after the attack, the terrorist organization ISIS released a video apparently showing Gadzhiyev swearing allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Russian officials have not commented on the video.