The four main suspects after the terrorist attack on a concert hall in Moscow were brought to the Russian capital for questioning in the evening. As the state agency Tass reported, the men were driven in a heavily secured motorcade from the Bryansk region in the south of the country, where they had been arrested, to the so-called investigative committee. An arrest warrant should be applied for in court in the coming days. They all face life imprisonment, Tass said.
Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has declared a national day of mourning for Russia this Sunday, as he announced in a speech to the population. According to investigators, at least 133 people died in the attack on Friday evening. At least three children were among those killed.
There have been eleven arrests so far in connection with the investigation into the attack. This was said by the head of the Russian domestic intelligence service FSB, Alexander Bortnikov, according to the Russian state news agency Tass. According to the domestic secret service FSB, the four suspected assassins were among the eleven arrested. According to the Russian Interior Ministry, they are foreigners: they are therefore not Russians. The Russian authorities are investigating terrorism.
Shortly after the attack, the terrorist militia “Islamic State” (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack on one of its channels. Experts believe the letter of confession is genuine. During the day, IS also published a photo that is said to show the four suspected attackers. The attack is related to the “raging war” between the Islamic State and the countries that fight Islam, the Amak news agency, the mouthpiece of the IS militia, said on the short message service Telegram. The background is still completely unclear.
According to the FSB, the four suspected attackers were on their way to the Ukrainian border when they were caught. They had contacts on the Ukrainian side. However, no evidence of a connection to Ukraine, against which Russia has been waging war for more than two years, was initially presented.
The Russian Foreign Ministry had previously criticized the US for quickly exonerating Ukraine as the possible mastermind of the attack on the Moscow concert hall. It raises questions if the US were to draw such conclusions while the tragedy was still unfolding. Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said this on Russian television on Friday evening. “If the United States or any other country has reliable facts, they should provide them to the Russian side.” If there were no such facts, neither the White House nor anyone else would have the right to give advance absolution, Zakharova said.
The Foreign Ministry in Kiev rejected any suspicion of responsibility for Ukraine, which has been defending itself against a Russian war of aggression for two years. A spokesman for Ukrainian military intelligence also emphasized that suggestions about a Ukrainian connection had nothing to do with reality. Rather, this is “another lie from the Russian secret service.” And: “Ukraine defends its sovereignty against Russian invaders, liberates its own territory and fights against the occupier’s army and against military targets, not against civilians,” the spokesman adds.
The USA had previously warned not to establish any connection with Ukraine. “There is no evidence that Ukraine or Ukrainians had anything to do with the shooting,” US National Security Council communications director John Kirby said in Washington. The USA recently warned of a possible terrorist attack in Russia.
Putin dismissed warnings from foreign intelligence services as a Western provocation
It was also unclear how the men in camouflage uniforms and heavily armed were able to get into the concert hall. The Russian capital Moscow is considered a safe city with a large number of security forces, surveillance cameras and metal detectors in many places. However, the secret services of the USA and other Western countries warned of an impending attack at the beginning of March. After his re-election last Sunday, President Vladimir Putin dismissed this as a Western provocation.
As the shots rang out, attendees in the massive event center ran for their lives, videos showed. Individual dead or injured people could also be seen lying on the ground. According to eyewitness accounts on social media, many visitors to Crocus City Hall took a long time to get out of the building. Investigators later found weapons and a lot of ammunition. Authorities collected empty cartridge cases by the bagful. The building also caught fire during the attack. The Russian Civil Defense Ministry said an area of 13,000 square meters was in flames. Firefighting helicopters were in use. The roof is said to have collapsed. Even though it was said that the fire was under control, open flames were again coming out of the building early on Saturday morning, as reported by the Tass agency.
Dozens of ambulances and many buses were deployed to bring people to safety. The Crocus City Hall has several event halls that are also used for trade fairs. It is one of the most popular leisure spots for Muscovites and those living in the surrounding areas of the Russian capital. Stars have appeared there again and again. There was supposed to be a concert by the Russian rock band Piknik on Friday evening.