MOSCOW (TASS) — Recruiters are encouraging new members of international terrorist organizations to spread the coronavirus in public places, Head of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Anti-Terrorism Centre Andrei Novikov said in an interview with TASS.

Novikov pointed out:

While governments are trying to ensure health security, focusing on protecting the lives and health of their people, recruiters of international terrorist groups are not just taking advantage of the difficult situation in order to recruit more ‘Jihad soldiers,’ they are calling on infected members to spread COVID-19 as wide as possible in public places, state agencies and so on.

Novikov believes such statements form a separate category of information and psychological threats to people:

Accordingly, countries that have effective systems to control the epidemiological situation, identify the infected and treat the sick are in the best position.