The assailants, clad in camouflage, opened fire at the crowded Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, a suburb of Moscow, just before a concert by the Soviet-era rock band Piknik.
MOSCOW: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-March March 23rd, 2024) At least 11 suspects including four armed individuals were arrested in connection with the assault on a concert hall in Moscow on Saturday.
The attack, which occurred on Friday, resulted in the tragic loss of at least 115 lives, making it one of the deadliest incidents in Russia in the past decade.
According to the Investigative Committee of Russia, the death toll has risen to 115 as more casualties were discovered during the debris clearance process. The assailants, clad in camouflage, opened fire at the crowded Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, a suburb of Moscow, just before a concert by the Soviet-era rock band Piknik.
The reports suggest that some of the attackers fled towards the Russia-Ukraine border, with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) indicating that they had pertinent connections within the country. President Vladimir Putin was briefed on the situation by the head of the FSB, Alexander Bortnikov, who informed him of the arrest of 11 individuals, including the four terrorists allegedly involved in the attack.
Despite no public appearance or statements from Putin since the incident, the Kremlin assured that he was continuously updated on the developments. The investigation revealed that casualties resulted not only from gunshot wounds but also from smoke inhalation after the assailants set fire to the concert hall.
Over 100 individuals remain hospitalized, and there are reports suggesting the involvement of suspects from Tajikistan, although Tajikistan's foreign ministry has not received official confirmation.
In response to the tragedy, Moscow residents queued up in the rain to donate blood, as depicted in videos shared by state media outlets. The incident follows recent actions by the FSB including the thwarting of a potential attack on a Moscow synagogue by Islamic State militants and the apprehension of individuals allegedly planning sabotage acts on Russian military facilities.
While the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, Russian authorities have labeled it as a terrorist act without directly addressing the group's assertion.
