Tajikistan Detains Nine Suspects Linked to Moscow Concert Hall Attack

Tajikistan’s state security service has detained nine individuals suspected of being in contact with the gunmen responsible for the recent attack on a concert hall in suburban Moscow, as reported by Al Jazeera, referencing Russian state media last Friday.

“Nine residents of the Vakhdat district were detained for contact with the persons who committed the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall on March 22,” reported RIA Novosti on Friday. This report, based on details provided by an anonymous source within Tajikistan’s special services, also mentioned the involvement of Russian security forces in the detention operation.

Tajikistan’s state security service has apprehended nine individuals suspected of being in contact with the assailants responsible for the recent attack on a Moscow concert hall, which resulted in 144 fatalities, as reported by Russian state media.

Watch here:

Russian authorities had previously announced the arrest of 11 suspects within the country, including four accused of executing the attack. The four individuals, identified as citizens of Tajikistan, were presented in a Moscow court on Sunday facing terrorism charges, displaying evidence of severe beatings. During the hearing, one of the suspects seemed barely conscious.

Russia’s Investigative Committee has announced the detention of an additional suspect on Thursday, linked to the Crocus City Hall raid, under suspicion of financing the attack. Further details regarding the suspect’s identity or specific actions were not disclosed, as reported by Al Jazeera.

A faction of ISIL has claimed responsibility for the massacre. However, Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have consistently alleged that Ukraine and the West were involved in the attack.

Al Jazeera has reported that the detentions occurred concurrently with an announcement by Russia’s investigative committee. The committee claims to possess evidence, which remains undisclosed to the public, of  “connections between funds received in cash and cryptocurrency from Ukrainian people or nationals to the perpetrators of this attack”.

Ukraine has refuted any involvement, with officials suggesting that Moscow is using the accusation as a pretext to escalate its military actions in Ukraine. The death toll from the concert hall attack has been rising, reaching 144 on Friday after a critically injured individual succumbed to their injuries in a hospital, as stated by Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko.