The investigation is now firmly following the North Caucasus lead, after one of the suicide bombers was identified as the widow of a warlord from Russia's Southern Republic of Dagestan.

Meanwhile, people in Chechnya are praying for terrorist groups to be eliminated from their land. Salman Selmurzaev is one of hundreds of locals who have gathered for Friday prayers in the heart of Chechnya. Nowadays he seldom leaves his home, but today is an exception.

“I will ask Allah to grant us peace, goodness and stability, ask that people are friendly and kind to each other regardless of their ethnic origin,” Selmurzaev says.

Having witnessed two anti-terror campaigns here, the man says that peace in the region is essential. He is shocked by the Moscow Metro bombings, and the fact that militants from the North Caucasus were reportedly involved.

“Immediately after the blast, they said it was terrorists from the Caucasus that did it. And straightaway I had a very bad feeling inside,” Selmurzaev says.

Chechen officials were among the first to condemn the bombings.

“You cannot say these are North Caucasus terrorists, or Moscow terrorists, or some other terrorists. Terrorists should not be identified with a certain ethnic group or a certain region. It hurts our feelings when people say such things,” Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov said.

Shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union this Southern Russian region was engulfed by nationalism financed from abroad. Scores of mercenaries came in search of money and glory, among them notorious Arab warlords.

“The so-called Chechen, or Caucasian, terrorism received financial support from abroad. Many of those who were arrested or killed were Al-Qaeda envoys,” researcher Viktor Nadein-Raevsky says.

The mercenaries, acting under the guise of jihad, interpreted the Koran at their convenience.

Islam is a vitally important part of life in the predominantly Muslim republic of Chechnya, and local spiritual authorities try their best to move worshippers away from radical propaganda.

“You cannot put the tag of terrorism on Islam. Islam is a religion of peace. Islam has nothing to do with terror. On the contrary, Islam is always against terror. Islam encourages all Muslims, as well as the followers of other religions and the entire world, to live in peace,” consultant to the Chechen president on religion Adam Shahidov says.

The people in this volatile region can relate better than most with the tragedy of the Moscow Metro bombings. The threat posed by extremists is nothing new to the population of the North Caucasus. A new anti-terrorist crackdown is coming, and they hope lasting stability will follow.