2024-03-24 12:02:00
On the 22nd (local time), audience members are screaming and evacuating following being shot by gunmen at the Krokus City Hall concert hall in Krasnogorsk, northwest of Moscow, Russia. (Photo source: X Capture)
“The terrorists spotted us and one of them ran and started shooting. “He had no choice but to lie down on the floor and play dead.”
A teenage girl who survived the shooting attack that struck the Crocus City Hall concert hall in northwest Moscow, Russia on the 22nd (local time) shuddered as she recalled that time. Although she barely survived the indiscriminate shooting, she suffered burns from the fire the terrorists set at the concert hall following the shooting. He was lying in the hospital with the left side of her face and left arm wrapped in gauze, unable to speak, telling Russian state media ‘RT’ on the 23rd, “I think the girl next to me has finally died.”
This terrorist attack occurred just 20km away from the Kremlin Palace, the Russian presidential office, five days following President Vladimir Putin virtually opened the way to life-long power in the Russian presidential election. It is considered the worst terrorist attack to occur in Russia since the 2004 Beslan school hostage incident in which 314 people were killed in clashes between Chechen rebels and Russian troops. The burden is bound to increase on President Putin, who has been emphasizing the image of a ‘strong leader’ to the extent that people call him a ‘modern-day Tsar (Russian emperor).’
● Shooting at audience members and setting fire to others as they leave
On this night, a concert by Picnic, a famous Russian rock band that has been active since 1978, was scheduled to be held at this venue. It was such a popular concert that all 6,200 seats were sold out. However, as armed gunmen fired automatic rifles indiscriminately from the front gate, the inside and outside of the concert hall became a ‘living hell.’ The terrorists opened fire while locking the exit and set fire to the concert hall.
According to Reuters, witnesses reported that terrorists wearing camouflage uniforms got out of a minivan in front of the concert hall around 7:40 p.m. The terrorists were reportedly armed with automatic rifles, pistols, knives, and Molotov cocktails. They began shooting inside the glass doors of the concert hall and even targeted people across the street. As dozens of people fell to the ground from gunfire, they entered the concert hall.
The audience inside the concert hall mistook the sound of gunfire as the beginning of a concert and did not evacuate at first. Some audience members suffered disaster while trying to evacuate people. “As people rushed to the back of the stage, one of the terrorists blocked the way,” Elena (61) told RT. “Then one of the audience members took the gun from the terrorist and knocked him out with the butt, allowing dozens of people to escape.” . “I don’t think he survived,” she lamented.
The terrorists sprayed flammable liquid on the curtains and seats of the concert hall, set fire to it, and then fled. According to local media, dozens of bodies were found in places where spectators hid to avoid gunfire and fire, such as bathrooms and emergency stairs.
● Putin warned that “those behind it will be punished”…
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that it had arrested 11 people involved, including four key suspects. In particular, key suspects were caught in Bryansk, 300 km southwest of Moscow. A handgun, an assault rifle magazine, and a Tajikistan passport were found in their vehicle. It can be assumed that the majority of terrorist suspects are foreigners from Tajikistan who were instigated.
According to a video of the suspects released by RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, one of the suspects, Shamsuddin Faridun (26), said that he had been contacted by an unidentified ‘preacher’ on Telegram regarding a month ago. Faridun said, “I was promised 500,000 rubles (approximately 7.3 million won) in compensation for the crime, and I was told once more, ‘I will give you 1 million rubles later.’”
The international community is paying attention to the fact that the worst terrorist disaster in 20 years has occurred at a time when there is considerable internal fatigue due to the prolonged war in Ukraine. In that respect, we may feel the ‘temptation of retribution,’ as President Putin announced, “We will find and punish all those behind terrorism.” However, some point out that it is a dilemma as to who can draw which card. Central Asia is Russia’s ‘back door’ in the face of Western sanctions, so it is burdensome to take a hard-line response.
Reporter Lee Ki-wook [email protected]
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