Achi news desk-
Moscow, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 23rd March, 2024) Russia said on Saturday that it has arrested 11 people – including four gunmen – over the attack on a concert hall in Moscow claimed by the Islamic State, as the death toll has risen to 115.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to publicly comment on the attack and Moscow has not addressed the Islamic State’s claim of responsibility, even as some lawmakers have pointed to a possible link to Ukraine.
Camouflaged gunmen opened fire at Crocus City Hall in the northern Moscow suburb of Krasnogorsk on Friday night before a concert by Soviet-era rock band Piknik in the deadliest attack in Russia for at least a decade.
Russia’s FSB security service said some of the criminals fled towards the border between Russia and Ukraine, adding that the attackers had “appropriate connections” in the country.
He did not give further details.
Some Russian lawmakers also pointed to Kyiv, without providing evidence.
“Probably the main interested party could be Ukraine and its sponsors … we cannot rule that out,” said senior Russian MP Andrey Kartapolov.
Ukraine, which has been facing a Russian military attack for two years, had “nothing to do” with the attack, according to a statement by presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak on Telegram.
The Kremlin said the head of the FSB security service had informed President Vladimir Putin of the arrests, while authorities warned the death toll was set to rise, with more than 100 still in hospital and a search of the scene burn continues.
“FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov reported to the president on the detention of 11 people, including four terrorists involved in the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall,” he said.
Putin himself has not made any public comments or been seen in public in the more than 12 hours since the attack.
The Kremlin said it was being kept informed and a government official said he wished the victims a speedy recovery.
Russia’s Investigative Committee, which investigates major crimes, said rescue workers were still working at the site, removing bodies from the building.
“The emergency services have found more bodies while removing the rubble. The death toll now stands at 115 people,” he said in a statement on Telegram.
The death toll was likely to rise further, as the governor of the Moscow region said rescuers would continue to scour the site for “several days.”
Investigators said people died of gunshot wounds and smoke inhalation after a fire engulfed the 6,000-seat venue.
“The terrorists used a flammable liquid to set fire to the concert hall building, where spectators were located, including some who were injured,” said the Investigative Committee.
Flames quickly spread through the venue on Friday after reports of the mass shooting, with screaming concertgoers rushing for emergency exits.
Some filmed the gunmen from the upper floors as they appeared to be walking methodically through the stalls shooting people, footage shared on social media showed.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility on Friday, saying its fighters had attacked a “large gathering” on the outskirts of Moscow and had “safely retreated to their bases”.
Russian authorities have called it a “terrorist attack”, but have not commented on the Islamic State’s claim.
Around 107 people were still in hospital on Saturday morning, according to the Russian Emergencies Ministry.
Russian Telegram channels, including Baza who is close to the security services, and a lawmaker said some of the suspects were from the central Asian nation of Tajikistan.
In a statement, Tajikistan’s foreign affairs ministry said it had not received any information from Moscow about the participation of its citizens.
In Moscow, residents formed long queues in the rain Saturday morning to donate blood, according to videos posted by state media outlets.
Memorial posters featuring a single candle replaced billboards at some bus stops in Moscow, state agency RIA Novosti reported.
Major events were canceled across the country, including a friendly football match between Russia and Paraguay due to take place in Moscow on Monday.
Statements of condemnation from world leaders continued to roll in.
On Saturday, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s foreign ministry said the Taliban “strongly condemns the recent terrorist attack in Moscow, Russia … and considers it a clear violation of all human standards.”
Attention is also focused on Russia’s powerful intelligence services in the wake of the attack.
Just three days before, Putin had publicly dismissed Western warnings of an imminent attack in Moscow as propaganda designed to scare Russian citizens.
On March 7, the US embassy in Russia issued a security alert saying it was “monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts.”
Washington said it had warned Russian authorities directly of a “planned terrorist attack” possibly targeting “large gatherings” in Moscow.
The United States had “shared this information with the Russian authorities,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said.
But speaking to the heads of the FSB last Tuesday, Putin said: “Recent provocative statements by a number of Western official structures regarding the possibility of terrorist attacks in Russia … are similar to complete blackmail and intended to frighten and destabilize our society .”
Earlier in March, the FSB said it had killed Islamic State militants who were planning an attack on a synagogue in Moscow.
Over the past few weeks the agency has announced almost daily the arrest of several pro-Ukrainian saboteurs it said were plotting attacks on Russian military infrastructure.
pure/db
