Akbarzhon Dzhalilov, the man suspected of blowing up a Russian metro train, represents a new wave of radical Islamists who blend into local society away from existing jihadi movements — making it harder for security forces to stop their attacks.
His pages on the Russian equivalent of Facebook show his interest in Wahabbism, a conservative and hard-line branch of Islam. But they give no indication that he might resort to violence, presenting a picture of a typical young man leading a largely secular life.
Fourteen people were killed and 50 wounded in the suicide bomb attack on Monday on a metro car in St. Petersburg. Russian state investigators said the suspected bomber was Dzhalilov, a 23-year-old born in the mainly Muslim ex-Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan.