More than 60 individuals lost their lives, and 145 sustained injuries in Moscow on Friday when gunmen dressed in camouflage attire unleashed gunfire inside a concert hall using automatic weapons, as reported by the Associated Press.
The terrorist organization Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack via a message from the group’s Amaq agency on Telegram. This incident occurred shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin secured another six-year term in an election widely viewed as fraudulent.
The gunmen embarked on a shooting spree just before the Russian rock band Picnic was scheduled to perform at the 6,200-seat Crocus City Hall, according to Reuters. This marked the deadliest assault in the country since 2004.
Videos circulating on social media depicted gunmen firing at civilians within the concert hall, with individuals seeking refuge behind seats. Subsequently, flames engulfed the building.
Authorities deployed helicopters in an attempt to extinguish the fire. The state news agency RIA reportedly indicated that the venue’s roof was at risk of collapse.
Dave Primov, a witness to the attack, recounted to AP, “There were volleys of gunfire. We all got up and tried to move toward the aisles. People began to panic, started to run and collided with each other. Some fell down and others trampled on them.”
The fate of the attackers post-shooting remains unclear. State authorities are investigating the incident as an act of terrorism.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the attack as a “bloody terrorist attack” requiring universal condemnation.
An unnamed United States official informed AP that American intelligence agencies had gathered information indicating that the Islamic State was plotting an attack in Moscow, and had shared this information privately with Russian authorities.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi denounced the “heinous terrorist attack,” expressing solidarity with the families of the victims in a social media post: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims. India stands in solidarity with the government and the people of the Russian Federation in this hour of grief.”