11 suspects were arrested in relation to the ISIS terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall music venue on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia, on Friday evening, which left at least 133 civilians dead and dozens more injured.
Gunmen stormed the 6,000-capacity venue in the Krasnogorsk suburb in the north of the Russian capital as a sold-out concert of 1970s music band, Band Picnic, was to begin. They shot attendees with automatic weapons and also fired bombs or granades, before setting parts of the venue on fire, according to sources.
Four of the detained are directly related to the deadly assault, according to the BBC.
A 7-minute video published on Saturday showed crowds evacuating the building amidst loud gunshots.
The full video of evacuation of spectators from the moment the shooting began at Crocus City Hall has been published by Baza. The footage shows how the spectators remaining in the concert hall are trying to hide behind the scenes from the terrorists. pic.twitter.com/5wq0GkHM7Q
— Olia (@OliaOnX) March 22, 2024
The United Nations, European Union, and foreign leaders condemned the attack.
The Greek Foreign Ministry wrote on Twitter: “Shocked by the terrible images coming from Moscow following the horrific attack at Crocus City Hall. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims to whom we extend our heartfelt condolences.”
The Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, also condemned the attack in separate statements.
Death toll reaches 133, further rise expected
Russia’s investigative committee confirmed 133 people dead by Saturday afternoon, stating that the death toll from the terrorist attack will rise further as rescue workers continue to move rubble at the scene.
“According to preliminary data, the causes of death were gunshot wounds and poisoning by combustion products,” a statement read.
Earlier reports from Russian media said that three children were among the dead.
Latest information on Saturday morning listed 107 injured in hospital. Sixty adults and one child were in serious condition, local sources said.
Ukraine denies involvement in Moscow terror attack
The Islamic State terror group (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack, although it hasn’t been specified which of its branches was behind it.
Ukraine, which has been at war with Russia since the latter invaded its territory in February 2022, has firmly denied any involvement in the attack.
Ukraine has no connection to the Moscow concert hall shooting, where 62 have died, said adviser to the Head of the Office of 🇺🇦 President, Mykhailo Podolyak.
He noted that Ukraine is focused on the war with Russia, while Moscow has repeatedly used terrorism as a warfare tactic. pic.twitter.com/SKtkzdV3k0
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) March 22, 2024
However, Russia’s security agency reportedly claimed that some of the detained suspects, arrested in a car chase, “were intending to cross over to Ukraine” and “had contacts on the Ukrainian side.”
BREAKING:
Russia blames Ukraine for the terror attack.
The security agency FSB (old KGB) releases a statement saying it apprehended the terrorists in Bryansk near the Ukrainian border.
FSB claims they were fleeing to Ukraine & “had the relevant contacts in Ukraine” pic.twitter.com/cJ9m5temRv
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 23, 2024
Russian politician and former army leader Andrey Kartapolov, who chairs Russia’s defence committee, told state media outlet RIA that “Ukraine and its patrons are the main stakeholders in the terrorist attack” and that “Ukraine should expect a “clear answer” on the battlefield if it is found to be involved in last night’s attack near Moscow.”
National day of mourning for concert hall victims
Russian president Vladimir Putin declared Sunday, March 24, a national day of mourning for the attack victims.
In his televised address to the Russian people, Putin repeated the claim that had been expressed earlier by Russian sources that the attackers had tried to escape towards Ukraine. The Russian president vowed to identify and punish everyone who stands behind the terrorists, “whoever they are, whoever is guiding them.”
“The main thing now is to prevent those who are behind this bloodbath from committing a new crime,” he added.
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