MOSCOW – The Russian websitelink>RThas reported that ISIS threatened to behead football superstars CristianoRonaldo and Lionel Messi at the Russia 2018 World Cup using doctoredposters.
The images, released on encrypted messaging channel Telegram, graphicallydepict masked terrorists kneeling on the two superstars’ backs and slicingat their necks with blades amid a packed stadium.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament will be held in 12 stadiums locatedacross 11 host cities.
Another poster shows a terrorist in combat fatigues clutching what lookslike an explosive, while looking out onto the pitch in anotherfull-capacity stadium.
The ISIS is using these posters to imply a threat to attack the World Cupgames.
The latest threat follows another one by ISIS in March 2017 when Messi, theArgentina captain, was shown on his knees wearing an orange GuantanamoBay-style jumpsuit, often seen worn by victims in the terrorists’ executionvideos. The backdrop was Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.
ISIS had followed this up in October with another doctored image of theBarcelona legend to threaten attacks on Russia, says the RT report.Pictures also depicted an exploding World-Cup logo along with threats fromISIS terrorists to come to and fight in the country. Pctures showedLuzhniki Stadium in Moscow and Volgograd Arena in the background – venuesfor the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The RT report points out that ahead of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics too ,an affiliate of insurgent group Ansar al-Sunna had released a videothreatening attacks throughout Russia.