Russia mourns deadly Moscow terror attack that claimed 133 lives
Russia mourned the worst terrorist attack in Moscow for more than two decades as authorities said the death toll had climbed to 133 and rescue workers continued to search for victims.
President Vladimir Putin told Russians in a televised address Saturday that the security services had captured four suspects who were trying to flee to Ukraine. While he didn’t accuse Ukrainian authorities of involvement in the attack at the Crocus City Hall on the edge of Moscow late Friday, Putin said a “window” had been prepared for the men to cross the border, without offering evidence.
Ukraine denied any role and called the attack a false-flag operation by the Kremlin. Islamic State earlier claimed responsibility in a Telegram message and posted a photograph of four men it said carried out the assault.
It’s the biggest single loss of life from terrorism in Moscow since Chechen separatists took hostages in 2002 at the Nord-Ost theatre, where at least 170 people including the dozens of attackers died during a botched rescue mission. Friday’s assault took place days after Putin cemented his grip on Russia by claiming a fifth term with 87% of the vote in the presidential election.
Authorities cancelled public events and tightened security across the country following the tragedy that shattered the illusion of security in Moscow that Putin has sought to cultivate in the more than two years since he invaded Ukraine. It recalled an earlier period of his quarter-century rule, when suicide bombings, most blamed on Islamists from within Russia or its neighbours, killed scores of people.
“ISIS bears sole responsibility for this attack,” Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the National Security Council at the White House, said in a statement Saturday. “There was no Ukrainian involvement whatsoever.” She reiterated that the US shared information with Russia in early March “about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow” and pointed again to a public warning by the US Embassy in Moscow on 7 March. Putin said authorities had detained all those directly involved in the “barbaric” assault by gunmen who turned automatic weapons against people attending a rock concert at the Crocus City complex. He declared Sunday a national day of mourning and vowed to pursue anyone responsible for ordering and organizing the incursion.
The president spoke after the Federal Security Service announced that agents had detained the suspects in Russia’s Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine. The men planned to cross into Ukraine where they “had contacts,” the Interfax news service reported, citing a statement by the service known as the FSB that gave no more detail.
FSB director Alexander Bortnikov reported to Putin that a total of 11 people had been detained, including the four suspects, according to a Kremlin statement earlier Saturday.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said Saturday the death toll was rising as emergency workers found more victims at the site of the attack. Officials earlier said at least 145 people had been wounded. Fire ripped through the massive venue after explosions were heard during the assault at Crocus City Hall, leading to a partial collapse of the roof.