Over 130 Dead in Russia's Worst Terror Attack in Decades
A national day of mourning is being observed in Russia on Sunday, following the massacre at a concert hall outside of Moscow on Friday, AFP reports, quoted by Agerpres.
The assault, claimed by the Islamic State group (IS), is Russia's deadliest terrorist attack in two decades.
Numerous billboards and some bus stops throughout Moscow bear the message: "We are in mourning 22.03.2024."
Moscow's museums and theatres have announced closures this weekend in response to the attack. Cinemas in Moscow have also declared their closure for Saturday and Sunday, offering "condolences" to the victims' families.
The attack, which occurred at a concert hall in Krasnogorsk, northwest of the Russian capital, is the most severe terrorist act in Russia in the last twenty years and the deadliest claimed by IS in Europe.
The official death toll, established on Sunday morning, stands at 133 dead and 152 injured, according to the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations. The search continues within the rubble of the fire-ravaged building, with its partially collapsed roof. This process could take several days, and the death toll is likely to rise.
Armed individuals in camouflage uniforms entered the Crocus City Hall concert venue on Friday evening. They opened fire with automatic weapons on the crowd and ignited a blaze using flammable liquid, resulting in at least 133 deaths.
In a televised address on Saturday, President Vladimir Putin denounced the "barbaric terrorist act" and vowed that those responsible would be punished. He announced the arrest of the attack's "four perpetrators" as they attempted to make their way to Ukraine. Putin did not elaborate on the Islamic State's claim of responsibility.
The FSB has stated the suspects possessed "corresponding contacts on the Ukrainian side" with plans to flee to Ukraine but offered no further specifics regarding the nature of these links or any evidence supporting their existence.
Mykhailo Podoliak, a Ukrainian presidential advisor, has dismissed these accusations as "absurd," stating, "Ukraine has not the slightest connection to the incident."
In a statement released on one of its Telegram accounts on Friday evening, the Islamic State asserted that the attack was perpetrated by four of its members and is part of the "context of (...) the ongoing war" between the group and "the countries that fight Islam."
Translation by Iurie Tataru
