Urgent Search for the ‘Black Widow’ Suicide Bomber, Ruzanna Ibragimova in Sochi Ahead of Olympics (Update: As Many as 4 ‘Black Widows’ May be in Sochi)

Be on the look out for the ‘Black Widow’ in Sochi …

Russian security services and police are looking for Ruzana Ibragimova, the ‘Black Widow’ suicide bomber, also known as Salima, the 22 year-old widow of an Islamic militant killed by Russian security forces last year.
Russian authorities distributed in pictures of  the ‘Black Widow,’ Ruzana Ibragimova.  The posters describe her as having a limp in her right leg, a left arm that does not bend at the elbow and a 4-inch scar on her cheek. It is believed that she may already be in Sochi. Now NBC News is reporting that there may be as many as four “black widows” dispatched to carry out terrorist attacks related to the Winter Olympics. It is believed that these terrorists may have already breached the so-called “ring of steel”.

Things that Make You Go Hmm … Just curious, there was discussion ahead of the Olympics that they should be boycotted by the USA because of Russia’s laws against gays, yet it sounds like attending the Sochi Olympics is like playing terrorism “Russian” roulette and not a word about not sending athletes for their own protection.

Flyer handed out by Russian Authorities – ‘Black Widow’ – Ruzanna Ibragimova

ABC News:

Police in Sochi have launched an urgent search for a possible female suicide bomber who may have already made it past the ring of security set up for the Olympic Games.

Hotel employees in Sochi told ABC News that posters with pictures and descriptions of a 22-year-old woman from nearby Dagestan were distributed over the weekend by authorities and a similar flyer was also seen posted at Sochi’s airport.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Olympic Committee reacted to the revelation by saying that the safety of Team USA is their “top priority.”

“As is always the case, we are working with the U.S. Department of State, the local organizers and the relevant law enforcement agencies in an effort to ensure that our delegation and other Americans traveling to Sochi are safe,” spokesperson Patrick Sandusky said.

The woman featured on the wanted posters is identified as Ruzanna Ibragimova, using the nickname Salima, the widow of a militant reportedly killed in a shoot-out with police last year in Dagestan.

She is described as being affiliated with the Caucasus Emirate, the terror group led by Doku Umarov that has threatened attacks against the Winter Games in Sochi.

Ibragimova is described as having a 10 centimeter scar across the left cheek, a pronounced limp, and a stiff left arm that doesn’t bend at the elbow.

VIDEO – CNN: Hunt for “black widow” bomber in Sochi.

This announcement comes on the foot-heals of the VIDEO tape received by the two individuals that were terrorist bombers who promised to a “surprise package” to be delivered during the Sochi Winter Olympics. The real question is, are the Olympics safe from terror and how in the hell was Sochi ever given the Olympics in the first place?

Not to worry, Barack Obama thinks that this is just the jayvee.

UPDATE I: Russian police kill Islamist militant leader before Olympics.

Police have killed a senior Islamist militant in a shootout in Russia’s North Caucasus ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, the National Anti-terror Committee said on Tuesday.

The shooting of Eldar Magatov, a suspect in numerous attacks on Russian targets, at a house where he had taken refuge in the Dagestan region was part of an intensifying security clampdown as the Games approach.

Video Surfaces Threatening Terrorist “Surprise Package” for the Winter Olympics in Sochi … Are the Olympics Safe from Terrorism?

A new video was posted Sunday on a Chechen terrorist extremist web site threatening terror attacks for the upcoming Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia. The video threatens jihad and that, “We’ll have a surprise package for you,” one of the men said in the militants’ video. “And those tourists that will come to you, for them, too, we have a surprise.” This comes on the foot-heals of two terrorist bombings in the Russian city of Volgograd. One was a suicide bombing at a train station killing 14, and the other aboard a trolley bus.

Citing a new “surprise package” for Russia and Olympic spectators, Islamist militants in the North Caucasus Sunday launched a new threat to the Sochi Olympics with a purported “martyrdom” video by two suicide bombers who attacked a transit hub 400 miles away.

The video posted on a Chechen extremist site considered a credible platform for militant statements featured two unidentified men before the black flag of jihad and cradling AKMS rifles.

The duo — dressed in street clothes and without the usual trappings of jihadis — casually explained that Russians and those attending the Winter Games next month will not be safe as long as forces sent by President Vladimir Putin occupy the North Caucasus region near Sochi, Russia.

“We’ll have a surprise package for you,” one of the men said in the militants’ video. “And those tourists that will come to you, for them, too, we have a surprise. If it happens [the Olympics], we’ll have a surprise for you. This is for all the Muslim blood that is shed every day around the world, be it in Afghanistan, Somalia, Syria, all around the world. This will be our revenge.”

VIDEO – CNN

The American Thinker asks, Can the Russians pull off a terror-free Olympics? My personal opinion is I sure hope so; however, I have to agree with TAT, I don’t trust the Russians to be competent enough either. Also, these Muslim, Islamist, Chechen extremists are highly motivated and off the chain insane when it comes to martyrdom in the name of Allah.

I don’t trust the Russians to be competent enough to prevent attacks and protect the Olympics. To me, it’s not a question of “if” but “when” an attack will happen. People are willing to die to make Putin look bad. That does not bode well for the safety of tourists or athletes at the games.

The U.S. State Department today urged Americans traveling to the Winter Olympics in Sochi in southern Russia to be “vigilant and exercise good judgment” during the Games because of the continuing terrorist threat to the region.

The Russian government is devoting considerable resources to ensure the Sochi Olympics are safe and incident-free.  Large-scale public events such as the Olympics present an attractive target for terrorists, as did the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996.  Travelers should expect increased police presence and enhanced security measures in and around the Olympic venues.

Acts of terrorism, including bombings and hostage takings, continue to occur in Russia, particularly in the North Caucasus region.  Additionally, between October 15 – December 30, 2013 there were three suicide bombings targeting public transportation in the city of Volgograd, two of which occurred within the same 24-hour period. Other bombings have occurred at Russian government buildings, airports, hotels, tourist sites, markets, entertainment venues, schools, and residential complexes.  There have also been large-scale attacks on public transportation including subways, buses, trains, and scheduled commercial flights.

UPDATE I: Putin pledges stepped up security.

Putin has pledged that visitors to Sochi for the Winter Olympics will be kept safe.

“We will try to make certain that the security measures are not intrusive or too conspicuous, so they are not too noticeable for the athletes, the Olympics’ guests or journalists,” Putin said, according to the interview transcript.

“But at the same time, we will do our utmost to ensure that they are effective.

UPDATE II: Just curious, how in the hell did Sochi actually get awarded the 2014 Winter Olympics when it was in such a terror rich environment? How does the Olympic comity even contemplate a place like this in a hot bed of terrorism as the location for an Olympics?  Sochi is due west of Grozny, Chechnya, and is about a 13 hour drive. Also, the Boston Marathon bombers, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the ethnic Chechen brothers lived in Dagestan, which neighbors the Chechnya region in southern Russia. What’s there next pick, Iran, Palestine, how about Syria?

Freelance journalist Ilya Mouzykantskii (@ilyamuz) has put together a map of all terrorist attacks near Sochi since Russia was awarded the Olympic games

Second Suicide Terror Bombing in Less Than 24 Hours in Volgograd Russia Kills 14 People Trolley Bus

Just ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi Russia … What will security be like for the Winter Games?

A second terrorist suicide bomb in Volgograd Russia in less than 24 hours ripped through a trolleybus Monday morning killing 14 and injuring at least 28 people. The bomb detonated in a trolleybus, packed with morning commuters, at about 8:10 a.m. local time and was the second suicide terror attack in less than 24 hours. Just yesterday a suicide bomber at a train station in Volgograd killed at least 14. The latest updated number of deaths fronm the train station is now at 16. As reported at USA Today, no one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing in Volgograd, but it came several months after Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov called for attacks against civilian targets in Russia, including the Sochi Games.

VIDEO – CNN

A fatal bomb explosion ripped apart a trolleybus in Volgograd on Monday morning, killing at least 14 people and injuring 28, in the second terrorist attack in the southern Russian city in less than 24 hours.

Several of the wounded, who officials said included a six-month-old infant, are in serious condition.

Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said that investigators believe a male suicide bomber carried out the attack, which he said was linked to another fatal bombing in the city on Sunday afternoon.

Authorities believe the first explosion, which killed 17 people and injured more than 40 at the Volgograd-1 railway station, was also the work of a suicide bomber.

Markin said that remains of both suspected bombers, which were recovered at the scenes, are undergoing DNA testing.

Monday’s blast marks the third such attack in Volgograd in two months, and comes just weeks before Russia is due to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in February in the city of Sochi.

The bomb detonated in a trolleybus, packed with morning commuters, at about 8:10 a.m. (0410 GMT), the Investigative Committee said.

UPDATE I: Successive suicide bombings in Russia kill over 30.

Together more than 30 people were killed in the explosions, putting the city of one million on edge and highlighting the terrorist threat Russia is facing as it prepares to host February’s Winter Games in Sochi, President Vladimir Putin’s pet project. While terrorists may find it hard to get to the tightly guarded Olympic facilities, the bombings have shown they can hit civilian targets elsewhere in Russia with shocking ease.

Volgograd, located about 650 kilometers (400 miles) northeast of Sochi, serves as a key transport hub for southern Russia, with numerous bus routes linking it to volatile provinces in Russia’s North Caucasus, where insurgents have been seeking an Islamic state.

Bomb Explosion at Train station in the Russian City of Volgograd Kills at Least 14 People … Terrorist Suicide Bomber Just 6 Weeks Ahead of Winter Olympics in Sochi

As reported at RIA Novosti, between 13 to 18 people have been killed and up to 40 injured as a bomb blast ripped through a train station Sunday in the Russian city of Volgograd .  Russia’s National Anti-Terror Committee are saying that preliminary information suggests the blast was caused by a female suicide bomber. This is the second bombing in Volgograd  in the past two months and comes less than six weeks ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, located less than 620 miles away. In October, 2013 6 people were killed and 33 injured when a suspected female suicide bomber detonated explosives aboard a Russian bus.

Between 13 and 18 people were killed and up to 50 more were wounded, according to various estimates by Russian officials, by the blast near the metal detectors at the Volgograd-1 train station’s front entrance at 12:45 p.m. (8:45 a.m. GMT).

President Vladimir Putin ordered officials to take all necessary measures to help the victims of the blast.

CNN:

An explosion at a train station in the Russian city of Volgograd killed at least 14 people, including one police officer, the Russian Investigative Committee said on its website Sunday.

The committee said 14 people had been killed and 40 people were injured.

A spokesman for the investigative committee said the bomber used the equivalent of 10 kilograms of TNT.

Video taken from an outside security camera shows a huge fireball inside what appears to be the main entrance followed by a steady trail of smoke coming out shattered windows.

UPDATE I: Russia Fears More Attacks Prior to Sochi Winter Olympics.

Olympic Spinal Tap Version – Smell the Glove: Team USA Olympic Mittens For You … Made in China …

Don’t look for the union label, Team USA Olympic mittens for the masses … MADE IN CHINA.

One of these days the manufacturers will get this right. After having been criticized two years ago for having U.S. Olympic team’s uniforms made in China, it appears they have not quite fixed the issue entirely.  Don’t look now but we have an America with two sets of mittens. There are those made for the Olympic athletes and that you can buy for $98 a pair on the Ralph Lauren website or the knockoffs for $14 a pair at the USOC’s official online shop, made in China. Wouldn’t you just love to know what the labor and material costs are for the $98 mittens as opposed to the ones made in China?

Its kind of like the ‘This is Spinal Tap’ of Olympic Mittens … ‘Smell the Glove Mittens’

This is what you wanted … Ralph Lauren, made in USA

This is What You Got, Made in China

The outside of the mittens say “Go USA.” The insides say “Made in China.”

Less than two years after being criticized for having the U.S. Olympic team’s uniforms made in China, the U.S. Olympic Committee has another wardrobe malfunction on its hands.

The red-white-and-blue mittens it’s selling to raise funds for winter athletes were produced in China.

It says so right on the tag on the inside.

The USOC is charging $14 a pair for the blue hand-warmers that have the word “Go” embroidered in red on the left mitten and “USA” on the right. Also part of that left mitten is the tag, which says the gloves are “100% acrylic,” “One Size Fits Most” and “Made in China.”

USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky said the “official” mittens being worn by the athletes at the opening ceremony are made in the USA. They’re also available to the public for $98 a pair on the Ralph Lauren website, which proudly proclaims its products are “Made in America” almost everywhere you look on the page for its official Team USA collection.

But the federation, which receives no government funding and is always trying to find new ways to raise money for its athletes, was going for a lower price point for its fundraiser. With the games more than a month away, it has raised $500,000 from the mitten sales.

“We wanted to create a fundraising opportunity where almost anyone could support Team USA,” Sandusky said.

The foreign-made mittens are available at the USOC’s official online shop of the U.S. Olympic Team.