CNN
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ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack on Friday at a popular concert venue complex near Moscow, where assailants attacked the venue using guns and incendiary devices, killing at least 60 people and wounding 145 others.
In a short statement posted by ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq on Telegram on Friday, the terrorist group accepted responsibility for the attack. No evidence was provided to support this claim.
Video footage from Crocus City Hall showed smoke billowing into the air as the vast complex, which includes both a music hall and a shopping center, was engulfed by fire. State-run RIA Novosti reported that the gunmen “opened fire with automatic weapons” and “thrown grenades or incendiary devices, causing a fire.” They then “fled in a white Renault car,” the news agency reported.
State media Russia 24 reported that the roof of the venue partially collapsed.
The fire was mostly extinguished after more than six hours. Moscow Governor Andrei Vorobyov said on Telegram: “There are still some places where fires started, but the fire is almost extinguished.”
Friday's attack, the deadliest terrorist attack on Moscow in decades, was the latest in a series of elections in which President Vladimir Putin won an overwhelming majority in a staged election, securing a second term in office and ruling the country since 2015. This happened less than a week after they tightened their grip on the country. century.
With the war with neighboring Ukraine in the spotlight, Putin was trumpeting a national security message before Russians went to the polls.
According to Russian 24 newspaper, the massacre occurred before a concert by the band Picnic. The band's manager told state media that none of the performers were injured.
“Unidentified people wearing camouflage clothing entered Crocus City Hall and began firing shots before the concert began,” the attorney general's office said, TASS reported.
Video footage shows crowds of people huddled together as gunshots begin to echo through the vast hall, panicking as the attack unfolds, including screaming and crouching behind cushioned seats. It was shown that he was doing so. One person in the group, who had taken shelter next to a large wall of windows outside the concert venue, was forced to break the window to escape the gunfire, according to footage obtained by CNN.
Video geolocated by CNN shows an armed person starting at least one fire inside the venue. The person holds something in his hand and as he walks off-screen, a bright flash from a large flame is seen on the video.
SWAT teams were called to the area, and more than 70 ambulance teams and medics assisted the victims.
According to TASS, 145 people are hospitalized. 60 people are in “serious condition”.
The Kremlin said President Putin had been informed about the attack and was kept updated on measures on the ground.
The president on Saturday prayed for the early recovery of those injured in the attack, state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported. He also “expressed his gratitude to the doctors,” the RIA added.
About 100 people were evacuated from the building by firefighters, TASS said. According to the Ministry of Emergencies, rescue teams are still working to extract people from the roof.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called the attack a “terrible tragedy.”
“I offer my condolences to the loved ones of the victims. I have ordered all those affected by the incident to be provided with all necessary support,” Sobyanin said in a statement.
Sobyanin said on Telegram that all sporting, cultural and other public events taking place in Moscow this weekend are canceled.
Picnic singer Sherman said he would pay for the victims' funerals and medical treatment for the injured.
“We are all one big family. And for a family, there is no such thing as someone else's grief,” the singer, known for his nationalist views, said in a video posted on the Russian social media network Vkontakte. He spoke to his more than 600,000 followers.
“My people, any hardships and misfortunes have always united our country. They have made Russia stronger and stronger. They will not be able to frighten us and crush us this time either.”
Video shows shooting scene at concert hall near Moscow
Earlier this month, the U.S. Embassy in Russia said it was “monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, including concerts.” The embassy warned Americans to avoid large gatherings. U.S. citizens were advised on Friday not to travel to Russia following reports of the attack on Crocus City Hall.
Two sources familiar with the intelligence said that since November, intelligence has been pouring in that ISIS-K is determined to attack Russia.
ISIS-K is an abbreviation for ISIS-Khorasan, an affiliate of a terrorist organization active in Afghanistan and surrounding areas.
National Security Council spokesman Adrian Watson said the U.S. government had received information about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow, which may have targeted large gatherings, including concerts, and that the State Department This led to the issue of a public advisory.
“The U.S. government also shared this information with Russian authorities, consistent with its long-standing 'duty to warn' policy,” Watson said.
In a speech on Tuesday, Putin denounced the US warning as “provocative” and said: “These acts are open threats and resemble an attempt to intimidate and destabilize our society. “There is,” he said.
According to RIA, in March alone, Russian authorities thwarted several ISIS-related incidents. On March 3, RIA reported that six of his ISIS members were killed in a counterterrorism operation in Ingushetia Karabulak. On March 7, the newspaper announced that security services had discovered and “neutralized” a room in the banned group Vilayat Khorasan in the Kaluga region. Members of this organization were planning an attack on a synagogue in Moscow. Then, on March 20, it was announced that the commander of the ISIS militant group had been captured.
U.S. officials said Friday that the U.S. government has no reason to doubt ISIS' claims that it is responsible for the recent attacks.
Ukraine, which has been embroiled in a war with Russia for more than two years, denied involvement in the attack.
In part of a post on He said he believed the attacks would escalate. “Military propaganda” in Ukraine.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres late Friday condemned “today's terrorist attack in the strongest possible terms,” according to a statement released by Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq.
“The Secretary-General expresses his deepest condolences to the bereaved families, the people and the Government of the Russian Federation. We wish the injured a speedy recovery,” the statement said.
In a separate statement, the UN Security Council condemned the attack as “heinous and cowardly”.
French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the attack. “France expresses its solidarity with the victims and their loved ones and with the entire Russian people,” the Elysée Palace said, according to AFP and Reuters.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X on Saturday that India “strongly condemns this heinous attack” and expressed solidarity with the Russian people.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman condemned the “terrorist attack” and sent his “deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.