Dozens dead as gunmen attack Moscow concert hall
Around 40 people died and more than 100 were wounded after several gunmen burst into a concert hall on the edge of Moscow and opened fire.
The attack, which also saw a massive blaze, comes days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the raid, the worst terror attack in Russia in two decades that came as the fighting in Ukraine dragged into a third year.
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin described the attack as a “huge tragedy”.
Russian news reports said that the assailants threw explosives, triggering a massive blaze at the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow.
Video posted on social media showed huge plumes of black smoke rising over the building.
The attack took place as crowds gathered for a concert of Picnic, a famed Russian
rock band, at the hall that can accommodate more than 6,000 people.
Russian news reports said that visitors were being evacuated, but some said that an unspecified number of people could have been trapped by the blaze.
The prosecutor’s office said several men in combat fatigues entered the concert hall and fired at visitors.
Extended rounds of gunfire could be heard on multiple videos posted by Russian media and Telegram channels.
One showed two men with rifles moving through the mall.
Another one showed a man inside the auditorium, saying the assailants set it on fire, as gunshots rang out incessantly in the background.
More videos showed up to four attackers, armed with assault rifles and wearing caps, who were shooting screaming people at point-blank range.
Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the Moscow region, said he was heading to the area and had set up a task force to deal with the damage.
He did not immediately offer any further details.
Russian media reports said that riot police units were being sent to the area as people were being evacuated.
Russian authorities said security was tightened at Moscow’s airports and railway stations, while the Moscow mayor cancelled all mass gatherings scheduled for the weekend.
White House national security adviser John Kirby said he could not yet speak about all the details but that “the images are just horrible. And just hard to watch”.
“Our thoughts are going to be with the victims of this terrible, terrible shooting attack,” Mr Kirby said.
“There are some moms and dads and brothers and sisters and sons and daughters who haven’t gotten the news yet. This is going to be a tough day.”
The attack followed a statementissuedearlierthismonth by the US embassy in Moscow that urged Americans to avoid crowded places in view of an imminent attack, a warning that was repeated by several other Western embassies. Mr Putin earlier this week denounced the Western warnings as an attempt to intimidate Russians.
Our thoughts are going to be with the victims of this terrible, terrible shooting attack
John Kirby