In a situation where no one believes the official versions of resonant events, various conspiracy theories and speculations flourish in vivid colors. This is exactly what is happening around the events in Magnitogorsk, for which the Russian authorities and their security forces have not provided a clear explanation. However, this task has been taken over by self-proclaimed «experts» and «insiders» who boast about their access to well-informed sources «at the top». Among them is the popular, although it would be more accurate to say inflated, Telegram channel «Nezygar», which usually presents rumors gathered from the Internet as valuable «insider information».
«The preliminary working version of the investigation is that the terrorists could represent one of the Shiite extremist groups. Before the events in Magnitogorsk, this extremist threat was not registered on Russian territory. It is possible that we are dealing with a new threat. One of the best-known terrorist organizations in Tajikistan, close to the Shiites, is the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan. According to Tajik security forces, activists of this organization have political ties and financial dependence on Shiite circles in Iran. They are trained in special religious schools in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The leaders of the Islamic Renaissance Party have become followers of the mazhab and have adopted the Shiite mazhab,» Nezygar reported.
It is not surprising that Russian special services, with the help of their Tajik counterparts, may eventually use the demonized Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) as a scapegoat. However, the attempt to link it to «Shiite extremists» is something new. Furthermore: «A new systemic problem arises — we can count on our fingers the number of specialists on fighting Shiite extremist groups, time is needed to counter this threat. Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and Israel have experience in fighting Shiite terrorism… If this was an operation by pro-Iranian forces, they could have packaged it as an unfriendly act by the Saudis and Americans against Russia in order to prevent Moscow’s deal with America on Iran,» speculates «Nezygar» (using «Saudis» instead of «Saudi Arabia»).
Of course, we could enjoy the mockery of the Russian security forces, which, regardless of the historically Sunni character of the Russian Muslim community, have been fighting for several years on the side of the extremely Shiite Alawite regime in Syria against its Sunni majority in order to maintain power, with the support of Shiite fundamentalist Iran. To conclude that the trail of those who blow up Russian citizens in their homes leads to the latter.
But there is a caveat. Such versions, whether it is accusing the Sunni IRPT of terrorism (which is still not evident) or linking them to «Shiite extremists», are clearly unfounded. This means that despite our «affection» for our Shiite brethren, it is ungrateful to engage in speculation on this matter. After all, today, without any evidence, «Shiites from the IRPT» will be declared guilty of another real or fake terrorist act, and tomorrow it may be «Russian Muslims from the Mossad,» as was done in the Stalinist USSR when «exposing» the most absurd «right-left deviations,» «Trotskyist-Bukharinist conspiracies,» and so on.
Moreover, we note the unobtrusive promotion of «specialists in combating Shiite terrorism from Israel,» who have lobbyists and ideological (ethnic?) enthusiasts not only in Russian «expert» and journalistic circles, but also in law enforcement and government agencies. On the other hand, it seems that «Nezygar» itself realized that its provocation looked too outrageous, and in order to smooth over this controversy, it presented an alternative version:
«1) If someone organized this ‘under Iran,’ then the goal is clear: to involve Russia in Trump’s global coalition against Iran, which is being formed these days and hours; 2) If this was an operation of pro-Iranian forces, they could have packaged it as an unfriendly act of the Saudis and Americans against Russia, in order to prevent Moscow’s agreement with America on Iran. And only the operative and quality work of the guys from the FSB foiled the plans of the «conspirators». That is why no one has ‘legendized’ the explosion. The organizers have gone into hiding and are silent.»
That’s the kind of conspiracy theory it is, doubly absurd given that the coalition against Iran that Trump is supposedly forming these days and hours has long since ceased to exist. Trump himself, during his first visit to the Middle East, destroyed the coalition that could have emerged before him — a coalition of Arab monarchies and Turkey — by provoking a conflict between Saudi Arabia and the UAE with Qatar, and later between them and Turkey. Currently, American policy in the Middle East is in such chaos that it is simply impossible to talk about the formation of any global coalitions.
In general, as a Spanish artist said, «the dream of reason produces monsters». This is evident both in the example of such «intelligence sources» and in the example of the «masters of thought» who perpetuate these myths.