4 Black Widows Threaten Sochi Olympics - Officials Fear 1 Bomber Already in Sochi
Four women known as "black widow" bombers are being sought in Russia as possible threats to the Sochi Olympics. The women are known as black widows because they are seeking to avenge the deaths of their husbands.
One such woman is Ruzana Ibragimova, also known as Salima. She is the 22-year-old widow of an Islamic militant killed by Russian security forces last year. Her face has been plastered across the news and in the region where authorities fear she may already be planning to carry out an attack. Salima has a limp in her right leg and a 4-inch scar on her cheek.
There may be three other women joining her in the mission to carry out suicide bombings to disrupt the Olympics. Another group of men posted a video on Monday, threatening to carry out an attack during the Olympics. These particular men claimed responsibility for a pair of suicide bombings that killed 34 people in Volgograd.
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"That which we will do, that which we have done, is only a little example, a little step," one of the men said in the video. "We'll have a surprise package for you. And those tourists that will come to you, for them, too, we have a surprise."
Fears of attacks have abounded since Sochi was announced as the host city for the Olympics. The fact that Salima could be in Sochi is a sign of a huge security problem.
"The fact that one individual either was able to stay in the area before the ring of steel went up or get through it really raises questions about the strength of the Russia security apparatus," Christopher Swift, who has studied extremist groups in North Caucasus, told ABC News. "The specific worry is that she's a woman and because of that it's easier for women to infiltrate indoor or outdoor venues, that she could be a bomb carrier."
American leaders are especially fearful for their own country's athletes and tourists and have said that the terrorist threats "are real. I think it's more likely that the attacks would probably happen outside the perimeter, more soft targets, transportation modes, if you will," Rep. Michael McCaul said on ABC's "This Week."
"They've now moved 30,000 armed troops to the region. That tells you their level of concern is great," Rep. Mike Rogers said on CNN's "State of the Union."
