Gunmen opened fire at an event center near Moscow on Friday. According to the Russian domestic intelligence service FSB, 40 people were killed and more than 100 injured. The perpetrators were at least three people in camouflage clothing, reported the state news agency RIA. They stormed into the ground floor of the “Crocus City Hall” with automatic weapons and opened fire. Videos even show four people dressed in military clothing shooting at people inside the building with a shotgun and assault rifles. The Russian Foreign Ministry speaks from a terrorist attack.
The exact situation is confusing: The Tass news agency reported an explosion in the building, and videos show a fire in the hall. The Moscow Times spoke of at least twelve deaths; other media reported that the roof of the event center had collapsed. The victims are said to be employees and visitors.
Tass reported that security forces had removed 100 people from the building, but that many were still trapped inside and others were waiting on the roof for help. Soldiers are also deployed at the event center.
Security forces on duty in front of the hall.
(Photo: IMAGO/Maksim Blinov/IMAGO/SNA)
The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, banned further major events in the evening: All sporting, cultural and other events had been canceled for the weekend, he announced on his Telegram channel. He asked for your understanding of the measure. According to Tass, security measures have also been strengthened at the capital’s airports and train stations.
The “Crocus City Hall” is located on the Moskva River in Krasnogorsk, a city on the northwestern outskirts of Moscow. Nothing is yet known about the background to the alleged attack. According to the US government, there is currently no evidence that Ukraine is involved in the attack. The Ukrainskaya Pravda in turn quoted a spokesman for Ukrainian military intelligence as saying that it was a “deliberate provocation” by Russian special forces.
With material from the news agencies dpa and Reuters