MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities arrested the four individuals suspected of participating in the assault on a suburban Moscow concert hall that resulted in the deaths of at least 133 people. President Vladimir Putin stated during a national address on Saturday that they believed the suspects were on their way to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Kyiv vehemently denied any connection to Friday’s attack on the Crocus City Hall music venue in Krasnogorsk. The Islamic State group’s branch in Afghanistan claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on social media channels linked to the group. Kyiv accused Putin and other Russian politicians of falsely implicating Ukraine in the attack to escalate support for Russia’s involvement in Ukraine's war, now in its third year.
A U.S. intelligence official informed The Associated Press that U.S. agencies had confirmed that IS was behind the attack.
Putin mentioned that authorities have arrested a total of 11 individuals in the attack, which also left numerous concertgoers injured and the venue in ruins. He described it as “a bloody, barbaric terrorist act” and stated that the four suspected gunmen were apprehended as they attempted to flee to Ukraine through a “window” prepared for them on the Ukrainian side of the border.
Putin also announced the implementation of additional security measures throughout Russia and declared Sunday as a day of mourning.
On Saturday, investigators were searching through the charred remains of the hall for more victims, with authorities warning that the death toll could still rise. The Russian health ministry stated that hundreds of people queued up to donate blood and plasma in Moscow early Saturday.
“We faced not just a thoroughly and cynically planned terrorist attack, but a well-prepared and organized mass killing of innocent civilians,” Putin stated.
The attack, the deadliest in Russia in years, occurred shortly after Putin solidified his control in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide and as the conflict in Ukraine continues.
Following the attack, some Russian lawmakers immediately blamed Ukraine. However, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, denied any involvement.
“Ukraine has never employed terrorist methods,” he stated. “The outcome of this war will be determined solely on the battlefield.”
Ukraine’s foreign ministry accused Moscow of using the attack to inflame support for its military efforts.
“We view these accusations as a deliberate ploy by the Kremlin to further stoke anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Russian society. This is an attempt to create conditions that would lead to increased mobilization of Russian citizens to participate in the criminal aggression against our country and to discredit Ukraine in the eyes of the international community,” the ministry said in a statement.
Images released by Russian state media on Saturday depicted a line of emergency vehicles still present outside the remains of Crocus City Hall, which could accommodate over 6,000 people and has hosted numerous major events, including the 2013 Miss Universe beauty pageant featuring Donald Trump and other VIPs.
Videos that were shared online showed gunmen in the venue shooting civilians closely. Russian news reports quoted authorities and witnesses as saying the attackers threw explosive devices that caused the fire. The roof of the theater, where crowds had gathered for a performance by the Russian rock band Picnic, collapsed early Saturday while firefighters spent hours fighting the blaze.
The IS’s Afghanistan affiliate stated in a post by its Aamaq news agency that it had attacked a large gathering of “Christians” in Krasnogorsk.
A U.S. intelligence official informed the AP that American intelligence agencies had collected information in recent weeks indicating that the IS branch was planning an attack in Moscow. U.S. officials had privately shared the intelligence with Russian officials earlier this month.
The official was briefed on the matter but was not authorized to publicly discuss the intelligence information and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
There has been an outpouring of messages expressing outrage, shock and support for the victims and their families from all over the world.
The U.N. Security Council on Friday denounced “the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack” and emphasized the need for the perpetrators to be held accountable. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the terrorist attack “in the strongest possible terms,” according to his spokesman.
Putin, who secured his continued rule over Russia for another six years in the recent presidential vote after a broad crackdown on dissent, publicly criticized the Western warnings of a potential terrorist attack as an attempt to intimidate Russians. He said earlier this week, “All that resembles open blackmail and an attempt to frighten and destabilize our society.”
In October 2015, a bomb planted by IS downed a Russian passenger plane over Sinai, resulting in the deaths of all 224 people on board, the majority of whom were Russian vacationers returning from Egypt. The group, which operates mainly in Syria and Iraq but also in Afghanistan and Africa, has also claimed responsibility for several attacks in Russia’s volatile Caucasus and other regions in recent years. It recruited fighters from Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union.
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