“Grand Theft Auto gang” was taken down in a violent confrontation in November 6. Its leader dead and ten others in custody, including two woman, according to reports in the Russian media.
For at least six months, the bloodthirsty gang, dubbed “GTA” or “Grand Theft Auto gang” for their methods, had been terrorizing the city with murders of about 20 people, and each with the same scenario: Gang members either approached people in parked cars or stopped autos with spike strips, shot the people in them with 9mm semiautomatic handguns, and then left them for dead without taking anything — except, reportedly, for their driver’s licenses in some cases.
Leaders of the murderous ‘GTA Bandits’ are said to have been recruiting and training mercenaries for the Islamic State (IS) militant group, LifeNews reports.
Among the gang members captured this morning were several suspected trainees set to travel to Syria in the near future to join the IS, law enforcement officials told journalists.
Police investigators have not ruled out the possibility that the murders of motorists carried out by these gang members in the Moscow region may have served as a ‘rite of passage’ for the future fighters.
All gang members arrested are either Uzbeks or Tajiks, except for one woman with Russian name. They made their living by collecting racket fees from ethnic minorities businesses in Moscow. They send some money to ISIS. In their homes police have found more than 60 guns.
