Several attackers entered a large concert hall in Moscow and shot at people with automatic weapons, killing at least 40 and injuring 100 others. The attack occurred shortly after President Vladimir Putin's election victory.
The raid, described as a "huge tragedy" by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, is being investigated as an act of terrorism. There were no immediate claims of responsibility, and it was the most lethal attack in Russia in years, coinciding with the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The Federal Security Service of Russia stated that 40 people lost their lives and over 100 were wounded during the attack at Crocus City Hall, a major music venue in Moscow's western area.
According to Russian news sources, the assailants used explosives, causing a massive fire at the venue, which has a capacity of 6,000. Videos depicted the building engulfed in flames, with emergency vehicles flashing blue lights at the scene.
The incident occurred during a performance by Picnic, a renowned Russian rock band. Reports indicated that attendees were being evacuated, but it was uncertain if some were trapped inside the burning hall.
The prosecutor’s office reported that several men in military attire entered the concert hall and opened fire on the audience.
Videos posted by Russian media and Telegram channels captured prolonged gunfire, with one showing armed men moving through the venue and another featuring a man inside the auditorium amid continuous gunshots, stating that the assailants had set the area on fire.
Footage also depicted up to four attackers, armed with assault rifles and wearing caps, shooting at people at close range while they screamed in terror.
Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the Moscow region, announced his deployment to the area and the establishment of a task force to address the situation, offering no further information.
As evacuations were underway, riot police units were reportedly dispatched to the area, as per Russian media.
Authorities in Russia heightened security at Moscow's airports and train stations, with the mayor canceling all planned large gatherings for the weekend.
White House National Security Advisor John Kirby expressed his distress over the distressing images and the struggle of watching them, refraining from providing further details.
Kirby expressed empathy for the victims of the tragic shooting attack, acknowledging the distress faced by families awaiting news about their loved ones.
This attack followed a prior warning from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to avoid crowded places in the city due to an imminent threat, which was reiterated by other Western embassies.
Putin, who secured his control over Russia for another six years in the March 15-17 presidential election after a widespread crackdown on opposition, earlier this week criticized the Western warnings as an effort to scare Russians.
Russia experienced a series of deadly terrorist attacks in the early 2000s during the conflict with separatists in the Russian region of Chechnya.
In October 2002, Chechen rebels held approximately 800 people hostage at a Moscow theater. Two days later, Russian special forces raided the building and 129 hostages and 41 Chechen fighters died, most of them from the effects of a gas used by Russian forces to subdue the attackers.
In September 2004, around 30 Chechen militants seized a school in Beslan in southern Russia, taking hundreds of hostages. The siege ended in a massacre two days later, resulting in the deaths of over 330 people, approximately half of whom were children.
