60 dead in Moscow concert hall attack, Islamic State claims responsibility
Over 60 people were killed and 145 others were injured as a group of armed men, wearing combat fatigues, opened fire at a concert hall near Moscow on Friday night, BBC and Reuters reported, citing Russia’s FSB Federal Security Service.
According to Russian news reports, the terrorists threw explosives, triggering a massive fire at the Crocus City Hall, located on the western edge of Moscow. Videos on social media showed huge plumes of black smoke rising over the building, Reuters reported.
The Islamic State terror group claimed responsibility for the attack, the group’s Telegram channel said, according to Reuters.
The attack, which is being probed by authorities as an act of terrorism, is the deadliest assault in Russia in recent years, news agency The Associated Press reported.
President Vladimir Putin, who was re-elected for a new six-year term on March 17, was briefed about the attack by his aides. Putin was receiving regular updates about the attack and the current situation at the scene, the Kremlin said.
Several terrorists barged into the concert hall and opened fire at visitors and started a massive fire. According to Russian media, the hall’s roof was collapsing.
The attack took place as a huge crowd gathered for a concert by Picnic, a famed Russian rock band, in the hall that can accommodate over 6,000 people, The Associated Press reported.
Russian media reported that the people at the concert hall were evacuated, but said that an unspecified number of people were trapped due to the fire. A video showed panicked people screaming and running for cover in the auditorium with gunshots heard in the background.
Special forces arrived at the building to begin an operation to eliminate the terrorists, who were believed to have barricaded themselves inside the building, Russian media reported.
However, the Islamic State later said the terrorists had “retreated to their bases safely”, AFP reported.
Extended rounds of gunfire could be heard in multiple videos on Russian social media channels. One video showed two men with guns moving through the concert hall. Another one showed a man inside the auditorium, saying the terrorists set it on fire and gunshots being heard in the background.
According to Russian media, 70 ambulances were rushed to the spot and riot police units were at the scene as people were being evacuated.
Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the Moscow region, said he was rushing to the spot and a task force would be set up to probe the attack, The Associated Press reported.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described the attack as a “huge tragedy”.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said it was a “bloody terrorist attack” and called on the world to condemn the assault.
In Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia in February 2022, presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak denied Kyiv’s involvement in the attack.
US REACTS TO MOSCOW ATTACK
White House National Security Advisor John Kirby reacted to the attack and said the “images are just horrible and hard to watch”.
“Our thoughts are going to be with the victims of this terrible, terrible shooting attack. There are some moms and dads and brothers and sisters and sons and daughters who haven’t gotten the news yet. This is going to be a tough day,” he was quoted as saying by The Associated Press.
Notably, the US embassy in Russia had warned of a terrorist attack earlier this month. It had warned that “extremists” planned to target large gatherings in Moscow, including at concerts. The advisory also urged US citizens to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours.
The advisory came several hours after Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said it foiled an attack on a synagogue in Moscow by a cell of the Islamic State, The Associated Press reported.