Russia has been left reeling in the wake of the nation’s worst terrorist attack in decades.ISIS has claimed responsibility for the massacre, which saw armed assailants storm a popular concert venue complex on the outskirts of Moscow, killing more than 130 people.Nearly a dozen people have been detained in connection with the atrocity, according to authorities. Among them, four suspected gunmen from the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan have been charged with terrorism and remanded into pre-trial detention.Attackers armed with guns and incendiary devices opened fire at random at the Crocus City complex – home to a popular music hall and shopping center – on Friday night.
Crowds were still filing in but the auditorium was already packed with people ahead of a concert by the band Picnic. Some 6,500 tickets had reportedly been sold for the show. But instead of a night dancing away to rock music, sheer chaos unfolded. Panicked eyewitnesses captured on video the exact moment gunmen, dressed in camouflage fatigues and carrying automatic weapons, started shooting indiscriminately. The footage showed concertgoers screaming and ducking for cover behind cushioned seats while others huddled together as shots echoed through the vast hall.
During the rampage, one group sheltering next to a large wall of windows outside the concert venue were forced to break them to escape the gunfire, video obtained by CNN shows.An unnamed man who survived the attack said the gunmen entered the concert hall and “started shooting everyone.” “I was sitting in the hall upstairs where the balconies were. We heard gunshots. At first, we didn’t understand what had happened,” he said in an interview with Ostorozhno Novosti, which was published by Reuters. The attackers threw a Molotov cocktail, and then “everything was set on fire,” he added.
The band’s manager later told state media the performers were unharmed.At least 137 people were killed in the terror attack, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee on Saturday. Authorities say that number is likely to rise as emergency responders work through the scene. Additionally, more than 100 others were injured – with many of them in serious condition, including two children. Moscow region Gov. Andrey Vorobyov said Saturday the victims would receive financial compensation from the region and city governments.
Relatives of each of those killed would receive 3 million rubles ($32,500), while the injured would receive 1 million rubles ($10,840) each. “Children registered in the Moscow region whose father or mother died in the tragedy will also receive monthly payments. In addition, we will compensate everyone for burial expenses and resolve all legal issues,” Vorobyov added.ISIS claimed responsibility for the assault in a short statement published by the ISIS-affiliated Amaq news agency on Telegram on Friday.
The following day, the terror group published an image through Amaq purporting to show the four men who had attacked the complex. None of the men were identifiable in the image; all were wearing balaclavas and the rest of their faces are blurred. ISIS described the attack as the “fiercest in years,” according to a translation of the message by the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors terror groups’ propaganda.
Amaq also provided details of the attack, saying that three fighters attacked the crowd with guns and knives while the fourth threw incendiary devices. It said the attack was preceded by an intensive surveillance operation of the venue. “The attack comes within the normal context of the raging war between the Islamic State and countries fighting Islam,” it added, according to SITE’s translation.
The United States had previously warned Moscow that ISIS militants were determined to target Russia in the days before assailants stormed the concert hall. Earlier this month, the US embassy in Russia had said it was “monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow,” including concerts, and it warned US citizens to avoid such places.
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