Militants opened fire at a Moscow concert hall, killing at least 40 people and injuring more than 100 others.
Moscow:
The scene of a fatal shooting and fire was Klokos City Hall in the Moscow region, a lavish concert venue where former U.S. President Donald Trump hosted the Miss Universe competition.
It is a short walk from the Moscow Metro Station and right next to the Moscow Ring Road, although officially it is outside the city limits.
The complex also includes a shopping mall and a conference center that can host events such as car shows.
This relatively intimate concert venue attracts numerous Russian and international stars.
British comedian-turned-politician Eddie Izzard gave a one-man show there in 2013 in English.
Piknik, a pop-rock band that dates back to the Soviet era, is scheduled to perform Friday.
The venue was built by real estate developer Aras Agalarov, who is extremely well-known and influential in Russia and has ties to Trump.
Agalarov, 68, was born in Azerbaijan but is a Russian citizen.
In 2021, he was listed by Forbes as being worth $1.2 billion. His company, Crocus Group, specializes in luxury retail and leisure development.
However, Forbes Russia reported last week that Agalarov and his business partner and son Emin Agalarov had taken out personal loans to save the company.
The father and son arrived at the scene of the attack and fire on Friday night, Russian news agencies reported.
Emin Agalarov is also a popular singer and has given concerts at the venue. He is the ex-husband of the daughter of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
The Crocus City Hall grounds opened in 2009 and were built in memory of Muslim Magomayev, a famous Soviet-era pop singer who was also from Azerbaijan.
American entrepreneur Trump, who hosted the Miss Universe pageant there in 2013, told the media that he had invited Russian President Vladimir Putin, but Putin did not attend.
Soon after, Trump appeared in a popular video by Emin Agalarov, and a few years later, when he ran for president against Hillary Clinton, his relationship with the family became a matter of public interest.
In June 2016, Emin Agalarov arranged for Donald Trump Jr., Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and campaign chairman Paul Manafort to meet with Russian lawyer Natalia Viktor. Senitskaya, who provided damaging information about Clinton.
However, Agalarov told the Daily Mail that the meeting he helped convene at his father’s request was “unproductive and useless”.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
