Daesh claims attack on concert hall in Moscow. There are dozens of deaths | Russia

Armed men, dressed in camouflage, attacked a concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia, this Friday. According to local media, at least 62 people died at the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, northwest of the capital, and more than 140 were injured. More than 6,000 people were at the venue, where the popular Russian band Picnic had a concert scheduled for that evening.

Through the Telegram messaging platform, Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack. “Islamic State fighters [Daesh] attacked a large gathering of Christians in Krasnogorsk, on the outskirts of Moscow, killing and injuring hundreds and causing great destruction there, before retreating to their bases for safety”, reads a message cited by the international press. The attackers reportedly escaped from the site, admit the Russian authorities.

The attack occurred at around 8pm local time (5pm in mainland Portugal). Videos posted on social media and retransmitted by the Russian television channel RT show at least three armed men advancing through the venue’s audience and shooting at spectators. Explosives were detonated, causing a large fire.

Many of the spectators took shelter on the floor, between the chairs, for long minutes until they escaped to safety. A hundred people managed to take refuge in a basement, and were later rescued by the authorities. The operation was made difficult by the flames that consumed the building. O Crocus City Hall is part of a larger complex, the Crocus Citywhich includes a shopping center.

The Mayor of Moscow City Council, Sergei Sobyanin, speaks of a “great tragedy”. All large public events scheduled for this weekend in the country have been cancelled.

Ukraine denied involvement

Hours before the apparent claim of the attack by Daesh, and in a context of war between Russia and neighboring Ukraine, Kiev came out with a categorical rejection of any participation in the attack. “Let’s be clear, Ukraine has absolutely nothing to do with these events”, stressed Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak. Other pro-Ukrainian armed groups, including the Free Russia Legion, active on Russian territory, also denied involvement in the attack.

In Washington, the US State Department confirmed early that its embassy in Moscow was aware of “an ongoing terrorist incident”. The diplomatic representation in the Russian capital appealed to American citizens to avoid the area and to follow the instructions of local authorities. The United States condemned the attack. “The images are simply horrific and difficult to see and our thoughts will obviously be with the victims of this terrible, terrible shooting,” White House spokesman John Kirby said.

The European Commission, Portugal, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Brazil and other nations also joined in condemning the attack. Through a spokesperson, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, offered “deep condolences” to the Russian Federation. The UN Security Council also condemned the “heinous act”.

US had warned of possible attack

On March 7, a note from the US embassy in Russia called on US citizens to avoid gatherings in the Russian capital, warning of the possibility of a terrorist attack. “The embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, such as concerts, and US citizens should avoid large crowds for the next 48 hours,” it read.

The alert had been issued on the same day that Russian authorities intercepted members of a Daesh cell that was preparing an attack on a synagogue in Moscow. The suspects were killed in an exchange of fire with Russian FSB agents in the city of Kaluga, southwest of the capital, and weapons presumably belonging to the group were found.

CNN now reports that the US intelligence services have had “reasonably specific” information since November about the intention of Daesh (and specifically the Khorasan branch, active in the Middle East, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia) to attack Russia . Washington will have shared this data with Moscow, says the North American television station. Furthermore, the country has long been in the group’s sights, especially after the participation of Russian forces in the Syrian civil war, alongside the Bashar al-Assad regime.

To the New York Times, US authorities reiterated that the March 7 warning did not refer to possible Ukrainian action. Still according to the same newspaper, Washington is now expressing concern about possible exploitation of the tragedy by Russian President Vladimir Putin in the context of the Ukrainian conflict.

Furthermore, Dmitri Medvedev, former head of state and current deputychairman of the Russian Security Council, has already called for strong retaliation if a link between Kiev and the attack is discovered: “They will all have to be found and destroyed without mercy like the terrorists they are. Including those responsible for the State that committed this atrocity.” Quoted by RIA Novosti, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova questioned “on what basis Washington authorities reach any conclusion” about Kiev’s non-involvement in the attack in Moscow.

From Putin, for now, silence. The Kremlin reported that the Russian President is monitoring events and giving “necessary instructions”, but by the end of Friday night there had been no public statement from the head of state about the Crocus City Hall tragedy.

The Russian Federation has been the scene of terrorist attacks for several decades, with a long history of attacks attributed by Moscow authorities to Caucasus separatists (mainly Chechens) and groups linked to international Islamic extremism – including Daesh. The hostage crisis at the Dubrovka Theater in 2002 and the attack on the Beslan school in 2004, two cases whose management by the security forces was heavily criticized, were the deadliest incidents in this long list, now joined by the Krasnogorsk massacre.