Gunmen, allegedly belonging to the ISIS group, fired at attendees, causing flames to erupt in the building
Russian police on standby after the attack
Russian authorities detained 11 people, state media reported on Saturday, after gunmen stormed a concert hall in Moscow in a grisly attack that left at least 133 people dead. Russia’s Investigative Committee said four of those detained were directly involved in the attack that left the sprawling shopping mall and music venue smouldering with a collapsed roof. A US intelligence official said that US agencies had confirmed that the ISIS group was responsible for the attack.
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The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on affiliated channels on social media. A US intelligence official said that US intelligence agencies had learned the group’s branch in Afghanistan was planning an attack in Moscow and shared the information with Russian officials. The four suspects were stopped in the Bryansk region of western Russia, “not far from the border with Ukraine,” Russia’s Investigative Committee said. They planned to cross the border into Ukraine and “had contacts” there, state news agency Tass said, citing Russia’s FSB. The head of the FSB briefed President Vladimir Putin on the arrests on Saturday, according to Tass.
“We know what terror threat means, this is an attack against Russia, and we expect that other nations that share our pain will cooperate with us,” Putin said in a televised address to Russian citizens. “We will stand united against this common enemy, no matter where it shows its ugly head. These terrorists have no nationality and there is only one future for them—retribution,” the 71-year-old leader said.
The attack came just days after Putin cemented his grip on power in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. The attack was the deadliest in Russia in years and came as the country’s fight in Ukraine dragged into a third year. Shortly after the attack, some Russian lawmakers pointed the finger at Ukraine. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, denied any involvement.
“Ukraine has never resorted to the use of terrorist methods,” he posted on X. “Everything in this war will be decided only on the battlefield.” Images shared by Russian state media Saturday showed a fleet of emergency vehicles still gathered outside the ruins of Crocus City Hall, which had a capacity of more than 6,000 people in Krasnogorsk, on Moscow’s western edge.
Videos posted online showed gunmen in the venue shooting civilians at point-blank range. The roof of the theatre, where crowds had gathered Friday for a performance by the Russian rock band Picnic, collapsed in the early hours of Saturday morning as firefighters spent hours fighting a fire that erupted during the attack.
The concert hall erupted in flames post the firing. Pics/AP
In a statement posted by its Aamaq news agency, the Islamic State’s affiliate in Afghanistan said it had attacked a large gathering of “Christians” in Krasnogorsk. It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the claim. A US intelligence official said that US intelligence agencies had gathered information in recent weeks that the IS branch was planning an attack in Moscow, and that they had privately shared the intelligence earlier this month with Russian officials.
100
Number of people injured so far in Moscow concert attack
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