Russian President Vladimir Putin said the gunman who carried out a concert hall attack in Moscow last week that killed nearly 140 people was a “radical Islamist.”
Putin told a meeting with government officials that Friday’s killings were the work of extremists “whose ideology the Islamic world has been fighting for centuries.”
Putin said over the weekend that four attackers were captured as they tried to flee to Ukraine, but he did not mention the affiliate of the Islamic State group Isis-K that claimed responsibility for the attack.
He again did not mention the Islamic State in his speech on Monday.
Putin also did not reveal who ordered the attack, but said it was necessary to find out “why terrorists try to flee to Ukraine after committing crimes and who is waiting for them there.”
After an Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility, U.S. intelligence confirmed their account.
french president Emmanuel Macron It also said France had intelligence pointing to “an Islamic State entity” being responsible for the Moscow attack.
Earlier on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to pursue blame and urged reporters to await the results of Russia’s investigation.
He also declined to comment on reports that the United States warned Moscow authorities on March 7 of a possible terrorist attack, saying any such intelligence was confidential.
Putin spoke as calls grew louder in Russia for those behind the attack to be severely punished.
On Sunday night, a Moscow court charged four men with carrying out terrorist attacks. When they appeared in court, they showed signs of being severely beaten.
Civil liberties groups see this as a sign that Russia’s poor human rights record is bound to worsen under Putin.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the investigation was ongoing but vowed that “the perpetrators will be punished and they do not deserve mercy.”
Former president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, urged authorities to “kill them all.”
An attack on the city hall in Krokus, in the western suburbs of Moscow, on Friday night killed 139 people and injured more than 180, making it Russia’s deadliest death in years. A total of 97 people remain hospitalized, officials said.
As the attackers opened fire on concertgoers, they set fire to the massive concert hall, causing a blaze that caused the roof to collapse.
Officials said the search will continue until at least Tuesday afternoon. On Monday, a Russian Orthodox priest held a ceremony at the site, offering incense and praying to a makeshift memorial.
Russian media identified the four suspects as Tajik nationals.
Court officials said at least two suspects admitted guilt, but their circumstances raised questions about whether their statements were coerced.
The men were identified as Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, 32; Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, 30; Shamsiddin Fariduni, 25; and Mukhammadsobir Faizov, 19. The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Russia’s Federal Security Service said seven other suspects had been detained. Three of them, who showed no signs of injury, appeared in court on Monday and were being held in pretrial detention on terrorism charges. The fate of the others remains unclear.
Russian media reported that the four men were tortured during interrogation.
Mirzoev, Rachabalizoda and Fariduni all showed signs of severe bruising, including facial swelling. Mirzoyev also had a plastic bag hanging around his neck. Ratchabalizoda’s ears were heavily bandaged.
Wearing a hospital gown and sitting in a wheelchair, Fazov appeared in court accompanied by medical staff and sat with his eyes closed throughout. There appeared to be multiple wounds on his body.
Peskov declined to comment on the suspect’s treatment.
Medvedev, who served as Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012, was particularly harsh in his comments.
“They have been caught. Hats off to all who chased them. Should they be killed? They should. It will happen,” he wrote on his Telegram page.
“But more importantly kill everyone involved. Everybody. Those who gave, those who sympathized, those who helped. Kill them all.”
Russian human rights advocates condemned the violence against the men.
Anti-Torture, a prominent group advocating against police violence, said in a statement that perpetrators must be severely punished but “barbarity should not be the answer to barbarity.”
The report said the value of any testimony obtained through torture was “extremely low” and “if a government allows torture of terrorism suspects, it may also allow unlawful violence against other citizens.”
Additional reporting by The Associated Press
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