Moscow concert hall attack: ISIS claims responsibility as manhunt underway after dozens died

22 Mar at 6:11 pm

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The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack in Moscow in a statement posted on affiliated channels on social media. In a statement posted by its Aamaq news agency, the group said it attacked a large gathering of Christians in the city of Krasnogorsk on the outskirts of the Russian capital of Moscow, killing and wounding hundreds. It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the claim.

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The Islamic State group has announced responsibility for the Moscow attack via a statement on social media.
The attack targeted a large gathering in Krasnogorsk, on Moscow’s outskirts, with claims of numerous casualties.
Verification of the claim’s authenticity remains pending.

The Associated Press has the story:

Moscow concert hall attack: ISIS claims responsibility as manhunt underway after dozens died

Newslooks- MOSCOW (AP) —

Ambulances are parked near the burning building of the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an apparent terror attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (Sergei Vedyashkin)/Moscow News Agency via AP)

The full statement posted on its Telegram account reads:

Islamic State fighters attacked a large gathering of Christians in the city of Krasnogorsk on the outskirts of the Russian capital, Moscow, killing and wounding hundreds and causing great destruction to the place before they withdrew to their bases safely.
Islamic State claims responsibility on Moscow concert hall attack.

Ambulances parked near the burning building of the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an apparent terror attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

At least two children have been wounded in the attack at the Crocus City Hall, according to Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.

The Russian national guard have completed an inspection of the parking lots around the Crocus City Hall and have found no explosives, a Russian MP has said.

A massive blaze is seen over the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an apparent terror attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landlside. (Sergei Vedyashkin/Moscow News Agency via AP)

In a Telegram post, Alexander Khinshtein added that members of the national guard are continuing their checks of the surrounding area.

The European Union is “shocked and appalled” by the reports of a terrorist attack in the Crocus City Hall, the bloc’s lead foreign affairs spokesperson Peter Stano has said.

A medic stands near ambulances parked outside the burning building of the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an apparent terror attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (AP Photo/Vitaly Smolnikov)

Ukraine’s ministry of foreign affairs has released a statement to say that it “categorically rejects the accusations, which Russian officials started to make” claiming that Ukraine was involved in the shooting at the Crocus concert hall near Moscow.

The Russian former president Dmitry Medvedev has released a statement calling for those responsible for the attack to be “found and ruthlessly destroyed”.

Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of Russia’s security council, posted to Telegram:

Terrorists understand only reciprocal terror. No trials or investigations will help if force is not answered with force, and deaths with total punishment of terrorists and repression of their families. That’s our worldly experience. If it can be established that these terrorists were from the Kyiv regime, it’s impossible to deal with them and those who have been inspired by their ideology any other way. They must all be found and ruthlessly destroyed as terrorists. Including official representatives of the state that committed such an atrocity.
Russian former president Dmitry Medvedev.

Ambulances park near a burning building of the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an apparent terror attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

Dozens of people have reportedly been killed and more than 100 wounded in an attack at a concert venue near Moscow.

Here is what we know about the shooting so far:

Unidentified gunmen opened fire at the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk near Moscow on Friday evening during a sold-out concert by the Russian rock group Piknik. Crocus City Hall is one of the largest and most popular music venues in the Moscow oblast.
Forty people are reported dead and more than 100 wounded after the shooting as of 19.15 GMT, Russian state news agencies said, citing Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
Up to five gunmen were believed to be involved in the attack. There was no immediate claim of responsibility by any group, but Russian prosecutors described the attack as “an act of terrorism”.
Videos emerged showing gunmen in tactical gear opening fire from automatic weapons as panicked Russians fled for their lives. The attackers also apparently detonated explosives, as the sounds of blasts could be heard in other videos from the attack.
Tass, Russia’s state news agency, reported that people remained inside the building, which is almost completely engulfed in flames, and that others were trapped on the roof.
Speznaz units of Russia’s national guard as well as police and firefighters were at the scene.
Earlier this month, western countries led by the United States had issued terror warnings and told their citizens not to join public gatherings in Russia. On 8 March, the US embassy wrote it was “monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and US citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours”.
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