Support The Moscow Times!

Russian Police Seek Gay, Transgender Islamic State Suspects – Report

A deserted checkpoint that belonged to Islamic State fighters.

Police in Russia's Far East are looking for a transgender man and his gay partner who they fear could flee Russia to join the Islamic State fundamentalist group, sensationalist tabloid LifeNews reported Tuesday.

Investigators fear the two suspects, identified as Alexei T. and Viktor E., could try to travel to Syria via the North Caucasus in southern Russia, home to some turbulent predominantly Muslim areas, the report said. The two men, both aged 22, hold radical views and regularly attended worship, LifeNews reported an unnamed source as saying.

Viktor, who has adopted a female name and wears women's clothes, is described in the LifeNews report as the “ringleader” of the “battle trannies” and is said to maintain contacts with armed fundamentalist groups. Both suspects hail from the Kamchatka region, where they lived with Viktor's mother, the report said.

The report comes just weeks after a 19-year-old student from the prestigious Moscow State University attempted to run away to Syria to join the ranks of Islamic State, only to be stopped at the Turkish border. She has since returned to Russia.

Word of the LGBT wannabe terrorists is likely to unsettle Russia's outspoken deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin, who predicted last month in a Twitter post that the West would eventually “collapse under the onslaught of ISIS and gays.” He has yet to tweet on the latest news.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more