After the attack on a concert hall in Moscow, a court sent four suspects into custody. According to media reports, several of them are said to have confessed – and were apparently tortured beforehand.
At least two of the four suspects held responsible for the attack on a concert hall near Moscow are said to have pleaded guilty in a Russian court. This is reported by the Russian news agency Interfax and the AP agency, citing the court of the Basmanny district of Moscow.
Accordingly, the court ordered that all four suspects, aged 19, 25, 30 and 32, remain in custody until May 22nd. The men, who came from Tajikistan, were charged with committing a terrorist attack resulting in death. If convicted, they face life imprisonment. Russian media had previously reported that three or all four men had confessed.
Suspects show signs of torture
The defendants were brought to the Basmanny Court in the Russian capital on Sunday by masked security forces and placed in glass cages with clearly visible bruises, swelling, abrasions and lacerations. The men’s condition raised questions about whether they could speak freely.
The youngest suspect was pushed into court in a wheelchair straight from a hospital. He sat with his eyes closed throughout the hearing and was attended to by paramedics. He was wearing a hospital gown, several wounds were visible and he also appeared to be missing an eye. The man seemed barely conscious. The actual hearing took place behind closed doors, as the Tass agency reported.
Before the court hearing, video footage was circulated online showing that the arrested men were tortured and one of them even had his ear cut off. It was not possible to independently verify whether the recordings were authentic.
The number of injured has risen to more than 180
Gunmen broke into the Crocus City Hall on Friday evening before the start of a concert by the Russian band “Picnic” and fired indiscriminately at visitors. They also set fires. According to official information, at least 137 people died in the attack, many of them, according to authorities, from smoke inhalation. Numerous people were also injured. The Ministry of Health recently reported the number of injured at 182.
The four men were arrested at the weekend in the Russian border region of Bryansk and taken to Moscow. According to the Ministry of Defense, the security forces involved in the arrest were awarded.
Russia sees “Ukrainian trace” despite IS confession
An offshoot of the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) publicly claimed responsibility for the attack. Nevertheless, Russia’s leadership wants to see Ukraine become involved, against which Russia has been waging a war of aggression for more than two years. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the perpetrators wanted to flee to Ukraine, but he did not provide any evidence of this.
Kiev denies any involvement in the crime. “Putin and the other bastards” were just trying to “put the blame on someone else,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his video address. The USA also stated that there was no evidence that Ukraine was responsible. In addition, experts consider the IS confession to be authentic.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the US of “covering” Ukraine. “The American political engineers have maneuvered themselves into a trap with their IS narratives.” Therefore, they would now cover the “Ukrainian wards,” Sakharova wrote in the Russian newspaper KP.
France calls supreme security_level out of
In the evening it was announced that France had declared the highest security level following the terrorist attack in Russia. In view of the attack claimed by IS and the threat posed to France, the decision was made to take this step, wrote Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on fallen.