ISIS calls for attacks on Champions League quarter-finals

The terrorist group known as Islamic State, or ISIS, has issued a call for attacks on major UEFA Champions League games ahead of the event’s quarter-finals.

In a post issued via its de facto media outlet, the Al-Azaim Foundation, the group listed London’s Emirates Stadium, Paris’s Parc de Prince (sic), and the Santiago Bernabéu and Metropolitano arenas in Madrid as targets. The image bears the words “Kill Them All”, along with a black-clad man holding a firearm.

While sports games and venues have previously been targeted by ISIS, its supporters and other extremist organisations, the group is not known for telegraphing its attacks in advance, preferring instead to storm large public venues and events by surprise.

ISIS has also previously taken credit for attacks by lone supporters or small groups.

While some of these perpetrators have been in close contact with the group or even participated in its deadliest operations in Iraq and Syria, others are likely to have been radicalised remotely or simply inspired by the group’s propaganda.

The recent attack on the Crocus concert hall near Moscow, which killed 144 people, was claimed by the so-called ISIS-Khorasan, a central Asian chapter of the organisation. It is one of the deadliest attacks in ISIS history.

However, the Russian government has tried to blame it on Ukraine, the US and the UK to distract from claims it was warned of the attack in advance.