Russian President Putin has spoken out for the first time about the attack on a concert hall near Moscow. He described the attack as a “barbaric terrorist act.” All attackers have been arrested.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned the deadly attack on a concert hall near Moscow as a “barbaric terrorist act.” In a televised address, Putin said all attackers had been arrested and were trying to flee to Ukraine. All those responsible for the attack would be “punished”.
The Russian secret service FSB had previously announced that eleven people had been arrested in connection with the attack. According to the Interfax news agency, four of those arrested are suspected of having been directly involved in the attack.
In his televised address, Putin also announced a national day of mourning for Russia. This is scheduled for Sunday.
“Islamic State” claims responsibility for attack
Putin suggested in his speech that there could be a connection between Ukraine and the terrorist attack on the concert hall. Putin said the perpetrators planned to cross the border into Ukraine. He did not provide any evidence of this. Additional security measures were put in place across Russia after the crime, which the terrorist organization “Islamic State” claimed responsibility for.
The Ukrainian leadership had previously rejected as “absurd” similar statements by the FSB that the suspects had had contact with Ukraine. “It was clear that the version of the Russian authorities would be ‘the Ukrainian trail’,” Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoljak explained on the online service X. “The statements of the Russian services regarding Ukraine are completely untenable and absurd.” Ukraine has no connection whatsoever to the incident. According to its own statements, the USA also sees no evidence of Ukrainian involvement in the attack.
IS said on Telegram that fighters had attacked “a large gathering (…) on the outskirts of the Russian capital Moscow.” The IS propaganda channel Amak also publishes pixelated photos that are supposed to show the alleged attackers. One picture showed four people with their faces unrecognizable. The fighters, armed with assault rifles, pistols and bombs, dealt a “severe blow” to Russia, the statement said. The attack targeted “thousands of Christians in a music hall.”
It has not yet been independently confirmed that IS was behind the attack. However, the militia’s letter of responsibility was assessed as genuine by terror expert Peter Neumann from King’s College in London.
At least 133 deaths reported
The number of people killed in the attack rose to 133, the State Investigative Committee said. There are still different information about the number of injured. The ministry said at least 100 people were injured, while the media reported up to 145 injured. The rescue work in the concert hall could continue for days, and the search for victims continued under the rubble, as the governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov, announced on the Telegram online service. The number of deaths could therefore still rise.
Several armed assassins broke into the “Crocus City Hall” on Friday, where a concert by the Russian band “Piknik” from St. Petersburg was about to begin. The hall offers seats for thousands of spectators. According to the Interfax news agency, two to five assassins are said to have been involved in the attack and opened fire on the guests. There was also an explosion and a fire broke out in the concert hall, which spread to the upper floors and the roof.