139 dead near Moscow
Putin now declares Islamists to be responsible for the attack
Russian President Vladimir Putin (archive photo) still says that a trail leads to Ukraine after the attack
© Uncredited/Russian Presidential Press Service/AP / DPA
Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is now blaming Islamists for the attack on a concert hall near Moscow. But he doesn’t want to completely let go of the “trail to Ukraine”.
Putin thus deviated from his original line, in which he had suspected a “Ukrainian trace” behind the bloody crime. Nevertheless, it should be clarified why the terrorists wanted to escape to Ukraine after the bloody act. “And who was expecting them there,” he added.
Radical Islamists attack Russia
Now several questions need to be clarified. “How do radical Islamists, posing as devout Muslims and professing so-called pure Islam, come to commit serious atrocities and crimes during the holy month of Ramadan, which is holy to all Muslims?” Putin asked at the meeting with representatives cited by various authorities. It also remains to be seen “whether radical and terrorist Islamic organizations are really interested in attacking Russia, which today stands for a just solution to the escalating Middle East conflict.”
Beslan, Moscow, Volgograd
Bombs and hostage-taking: Terror in Russia and how it changed the country
The terrorist militia Islamic State has already claimed responsibility for the attack several times. Western security authorities and experts believe the confession is credible and suspect the IS offshoot Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISPK) was behind the attack. Russian propaganda initially tried to establish an alleged connection with Ukraine, against which Putin has been waging a brutal war of aggression for more than two years. However, there is no evidence for this claim. The Ukrainian leadership has also strictly rejected the allegations.
So far 139 dead and more than 180 injured
Meanwhile, the number of deaths from the attack rose to 139. Of the more than 180 injured, more than 50 have already been released into home care, said Deputy Prime Minister Tatjana Golikova. 93 people, including five children, are still being treated as inpatients. By Monday evening, 75 dead had been identified.
After the attack, Russian security forces arrested eleven suspects in the Bryansk region, south of Moscow. Seven of the men, including the four suspected shooters, have now been taken into custody by the Basmanny District Court in Moscow.