At least 40 individuals lost their lives, and nearly 145 sustained injuries on Friday when a group of at least five gunmen, dressed in camouflage attire, opened fire with automatic weapons on concert attendees near Moscow. The assailants targeted civilians at Crocus City Hall shortly before the start of a performance by the Soviet-era rock band “Picnic” in the packed 6,200-seat theater located in a western suburb of the Russian capital.
The Islamic State (ISIS), a militant organization that previously sought control over regions in Iraq and Syria, claimed responsibility for the attack through its Telegram channel.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) reported approximately 40 fatalities, while a regional ministry cited by the Tass news agency stated that 145 individuals were wounded.
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Following the assault, a portion of the venue was engulfed in flames, with helicopters deployed to contain the fire. Firefighters evacuated around 100 people from the building’s basement, and the state news agency RIA reported the collapse of the venue’s roof.
Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, denounced the incident as a “bloody terrorist attack” and called for global condemnation.
In response to the attack, Russia heightened security measures at airports, transportation hubs, and throughout the capital, home to over 21 million residents. Large-scale public gatherings were canceled nationwide.
According to reports from the New York Times, a branch of ISIS claimed responsibility for the Moscow attack, which US officials subsequently confirmed. Intelligence gathered in March indicated that ISIS-K, the Afghan-based branch of ISIS known as Islamic State-Khorasan, had orchestrated the assault on Moscow.
Zakharova raised concerns about the US possessing such intelligence and urged Washington to share any pertinent information with Moscow or refrain from making such assertions altogether.
