FSB director calls for discreditation of terrorists' leaders
YAROSLAVL. July 29 (Interfax) - Russian Federal Security Service Director Alexander Bortnikov has called on his foreign colleagues to work more actively on discrediting international terrorist organizations.
"There is a need to expand the practice of joint operative work on terrorist organizations, detect and curb the activities by persons who make up the combat and ideological nucleus of the groups, and discredit their leaders and cause division among bandits," Bortnikov said in Yaroslavl on Wednesday at an international meeting between the heads of the special services and security agencies involving 92 delegations from 64 countries.
Bortnikov believes there is a need to detect underground chains and resource supply channels, determine recruiters, who work not only in the real world (in mosques and Islamic schools), but also online, i.e., in social networking sites and Internet blogs.
Bortnikov believes preventive measures should become the foundation of the joint strategy to combat extremist and terrorist ideologies.
"The main task is to disable proponents of radicalism, debunk the false halo of defendants of the interests of the general public, and clearly demonstrate and expose the true essence of the ideological backbone of the ISIS, which contradicts both he norms of Islam and universal human values," Bortnikov said.
Bortnikov also emphasized the need to work with young people.
"There is a need to organize work aimed at detecting among them persons who are susceptible to extremist religious views. One of the propaganda arguments should be the idea that joining radical Islam means betraying the traditional faith of the ancestors," Bortnikov said.
Bortnikov called on participants in the international meeting to make more active use of the international anti-terrorist database because, as he said, "it is now the most effective diverse mechanism of mutual awareness of persons who intend to leave for regions at risk for terrorist threat."