Islamic State claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack on a Moscow concert hall.
Moscow:
The Kremlin declined to comment on Monday on claims by the Islamic State group that it was behind Russia’s worst attack in two decades as rescuers searched for bodies in the rubble of a burned-out Moscow concert hall.
Eleven people were detained in the attack, in which disguised gunmen stormed Croux City Hall, opened fire on concertgoers and set fire to the building, killing at least 137 people.
Since Friday, Islamic State jihadists have repeatedly said they were responsible, and Islamic State-affiliated media channels have released video of the gunman inside the venue.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his only public address on Saturday, suggested it might be linked to Ukraine, but senior Russian officials have yet to comment on the IS claim.
“The investigation is still ongoing. A consistent version has not yet been presented,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday when asked why Russia had not responded to questions about Islamic State’s alleged involvement.
“We are only talking about preliminary data. No version has been presented yet,” he added.
Officials expected the death toll to rise further, with rescuers searching for bodies at the scene on Monday, with 97 people still in hospital.
“Coping with Threats”
Peskov said Putin had no plans to visit the attack site on the northwest edge of Moscow.
He will hold a meeting later Monday with Russian security chiefs, government officials and leaders in Moscow and the Moscow region.
The Kremlin also expressed confidence in the country’s strong security agencies over how they failed to prevent the massacre despite public and private warnings from U.S. intelligence agencies.
In a series of late-night court hearings in Moscow that lasted into the early hours of Monday, four suspects with bloated faces, bruises and cuts, were dragged into the midst of dozens of reporters gathered in the capital Basmany. District Court.
FSB officers wheeled a man on a gurney into the hearing, his eyes barely open.
Peskov declined to comment on reports and videos on social media that showed bloody interrogations of suspects following their arrests on Saturday.
The court identified them as Muhammadsobir Fayzov, Shamsidin Fariduni, Rachabalizoda Saidakrami and Daljon Mir Dalerjon Mirzoyev.
Russian state media said they were all citizens of Tajikistan.
Two of them pleaded guilty, the court said.
Three other suspects identified by Russian media as family members Amijun Islomov, Dilovar Islomov and Isroil Islomov were remanded in custody on Monday.
One of the detainees has Russian citizenship, Interfax reported.
All detainees have been charged with terrorism offenses and face life in prison. The Kremlin has rejected proposals to reintroduce the death penalty.
clear rubble
According to the latest tally by Russian investigators, at least 137 people have died, including three children.
After the gunman walked through the theater and opened fire on the audience, he set the building on fire, leaving many people trapped inside.
The victim died from gunshot wounds and smoke inhalation, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee.
Russian state media on Monday quoted a spokesman for the concert hall’s owner as saying that more than 5,000 people were inside the concert hall when gunmen stormed before a sold-out rock concert.
Moscow region governor Andrey Vorobyov said rescuers would continue to search the site and clear debris until Tuesday evening.
“Our task is to remove the rubble and make sure there are no bodies underneath,” Vorobyov said in a Telegram post.
Putin on Saturday vowed “revenge and forgetfulness” against “terrorists, murderers and non-human beings” who carry out “barbaric acts of terror”.
He said the four attackers were captured while trying to flee to Ukraine, where they found a “window” across the border.
funeral
Russia’s Federal Security Service said the gunman had “connections” in Ukraine but gave no further details.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied Ukraine’s involvement.
The United States warned on March 7 that “extremists” were about to launch an attack on Moscow and said that the “Islamic State” bore “full responsibility.”
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron warned Russia not to “exploit” the attack to blame Kiev.
Russia marked a national day of mourning on Sunday, with dozens of people laying flowers at memorials to the victims and tribute posters erected on the sides of buildings and at traffic stops across the country.
Russian schools held special classes on “terrorism” on Monday and children wore white ribbons to commemorate the victims, a state television host said in a news briefing.
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon again condemned the attack on Monday after Russian media reported that the gunman was a Tajik citizen.
Russian news agencies quoted him as saying the attack “calls on all of us, especially parents, to once again pay more serious attention to the education of children.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
