Putin blames Islamic extremists; alleges mastermind is unknown
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday the gunmen who killed 139 people at a suburban Moscow concert hall are “radical Islamists,” but he repeated his claim Ukraine could have played a role — despite Kyiv’s strong denials.
Days after the Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate claimed responsibility for Friday night’s attack at the music venue, Putin acknowledged during a meeting with government officials the killings were carried out by extremists “whose ideology the Islamic world has been fighting for centuries.”
Putin, who declared over the weekend the four attackers were arrested while trying to escape to Ukraine, said investigators haven’t determined who ordered the attack but it was necessary to find out “why the terrorists after committing their crime tried to flee to Ukraine and who was waiting for them there.”
The IS group affiliate claimed it carried out the attack, and U.S. intelligence said it had information confirming the group was responsible. French President Emmanuel Macron said France has intelligence pointing to “an IS entity” as responsible for the attack.
Despite all signs pointing to the Islamic State group, Putin continued to suggest Ukrainian involvement — a claim Ukraine roundly has roundly rejected, accusing Putin of trying to drum up fervor in his war efforts.
“We are seeing that the U.S., through various channels, is trying to convince its satellites and other countries of the world that, according to their intelligence, there is allegedly no Kyiv trace in the Moscow terror attack — that the bloody terrorist act was committed by followers of Islam, members of the Islamic State group,” Putin said during the meeting with top law enforcement officials.
He added “those who support the Kyiv regime don’t want to be accomplices in terror and sponsors of terrorism, but many questions remain.”
The attack Friday night at the Crocus City Hall music venue on Moscow’s western outskirts left 139 people dead and more than 180 injured.
About 100 people remained hospitalized, officials said.
Putin warned more attacks could follow, alleging possible Western involvement. He didn’t mention the warning about a possible imminent terrorist attack the U.S. confidentially shared with Moscow two weeks before the raid.
The four suspected attackers, all Tajikistan nationals, were ordered by a Moscow court Sunday night to remain in custody pending the outcome of the official investigation.
Russian media reported the four were tortured while being interrogated, and they showed signs during their court appearance of having been severely beaten. Russian officials said all four pleaded guilty to the charges, which carry life sentences, but their condition raised questions about whether their statements might have been coerced.
Russian authorities reported seven other suspects have been detained, and three of them were remanded by the court Monday on charges of being involved in the attack.
As they mowed down concertgoers with gunfire, the attackers set fire to the vast concert hall, and the resulting blaze caused the roof to collapse.
The search operation will continue until at least Tuesday afternoon, officials said. A Russian Orthodox priest conducted a service at the site Monday, blessing a makeshift memorial with incense.
Dmitry Medvedev, who was Russia’s president from 2008-12 and now serves as deputy head of Security Council chaired by Putin, called for the killing of “everyone involved. Everyone. Those who paid, those who sympathized, those who helped. Kill them all.”
Russian human rights advocates condemned the apparent violence against the men.
Team Against Torture, a prominent group that advocates against police brutality, said in a statement the culprits must face stern punishment, but “savagery should not be the answer to savagery.”