In Russia, a Muslim woman paced back and forth at a subway station entrance carrying the decapitated head of a child. The woman was reportedly the nanny of the deceased little girl who was approximately 3-4 years old. She kept repeating, “I am a terrorist, I want your death,” over and over. She also was heard repeating, “Allahu Akbar (God is great in Arabic)!” Police and firefighters found the rest of the body of the little girl in an apartment that had been on fire. Some reports have her threatening to blow herself up.

According to the New York Daily News, Moscow’s investigative committee is pursuing psychiatric testing for what they call “clearly deranged behavior.” With such a gruesome and shocking crime, will she be prosecuted for terrorism or murder? Watching her on the video; her behavior and mannerisms appear to be that of a woman who is mentally ill. However, her motivations appear to also be derived from radicalized Islam. Beheadings are a preferred method of killing for groups such as ISIS and al-Qaida.

Based on the language used by Moscow’s investigative committee (“clearly deranged behavior”), they may not prosecute this as terrorism. I am not familiar with Russian law, but I wonder, if she is discovered to have a mental illness, will she stand trial at all?

BBC Global posted the video of the incident from an onlooker’s phone. It is graphic and you can clearly see the child’s head.

Image courtesy of New York Daily News