PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin on Monday acknowledged for the first time that “radical Islamists” were behind last week’s attack on a concert hall outside Moscow. But suggests they are connected to Ukraine in some way.
A total of 11 people have been detained in connection with the attack, which saw gunmen storm Crocus City Hall, open fire on concertgoers, and set the building ablaze, killing at least 139 people.
“We know that these crimes were committed by the hands of radical Islamists, whose ideology the Islamic world itself has been fighting for centuries,” Putin said in a televised meeting.
However, the Russian leader said “many questions” remained unanswered, including why the attackers tried to flee to Ukraine — a claim rejected by Kyiv.
“Of course, it is necessary to answer the question, why, following committing a crime, did the terrorists try to go to Ukraine? Who was waiting for them there?” Putin asked.
“This atrocity may just be part of a series of efforts by those who have been at war with our country since 2014,” he said, referring to Ukraine and its allies.
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Ukraine has described the accusation as absurd.
“Putin is once more talking to himself, and once more on television. Again, he is blaming Ukraine,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening speech.
Islamic State (IS) jihadists have said several times since Friday they were responsible, and IS-affiliated media outlets have published graphic videos of the shooters inside the premises.
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When asked regarding IS’s purported involvement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday said the investigation was still ongoing.
Officials expect the death toll to continue to rise, as rescuers searched the site for remains on Monday and 97 people remained hospitalized.
Court
The Kremlin has expressed confidence in the country’s powerful security institutions, although questions remain regarding how they failed to prevent the massacre despite public and private warnings by the United States intelligence apparatus.
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In a series of late-night hearings in Moscow that continued into the early hours of Monday, four of the suspects — with bruises and cuts on their swollen faces — were pulled into the capital’s Basmanny district court in front of dozens of journalists.
FSB officers rolled one of them into the conference on a stretcher, his eyes almost closed.
Peskov declined to comment on reports and videos on social media showing the suspects’ bloody interrogation following they were arrested Saturday.
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The court identified them as Muhammadsobir Fayzov, Shamsidin Fariduni, Rachabalizoda Saidakrami, and Dalerjon Mirzoyev.
Russian state media said they were all citizens of Tajikistan.
Two of them pleaded guilty, the court said.
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Three other suspects, whom Russian media identified as family members Aminchon Islomov, Dilovar Islomov, and Isroil Islomov, were held in pre-trial detention on Monday.
One of those detained has Russian citizenship, the Interfax news agency reported.
All those detained have been charged with acts of terrorism and face life in prison. The Kremlin rejected suggestions that the death penalty would be reintroduced.
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Clearing the Debris
At least 139 people died in the attack, according to Alexander Bastrykin, head of Russia’s Investigative Committee.
After walking through the audience watching the theater, the shooters set the building on fire, ensnaring many of the people inside.
The victim died from both gunshot wounds and smoke inhalation, according to the Russian Investigative Committee.
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More than 5,000 people were in the concert hall when the shooters entered before a sold-out rock concert, Russian state media quoted a spokesman for the venue’s owner on Monday.
Rescuers would continue sifting through debris and clearing debris at the site until Tuesday evening, said Andrey Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region.
“The task was to remove the rubble to make sure there were no bodies underneath,” Vorobyov said in a post on Telegram.
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Putin called on his troops once more on Monday to “identify all those involved in the terrorist act”, including “the booker”.
“Despite our shared pain and sorrow, compassion and the legitimate desire to punish all the perpetrators of these atrocities, the investigation must be carried out at the highest level of professionalism, objectivity, without any political bias,” Putin said.
Mourn
The FSB said the shooters had “contacts” in Ukraine, without providing more details.
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The United States, which on March 7 warned of an “imminent” attack on Moscow by “extremists”, has said IS was solely responsible.
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron warned Russia not to “use” the attack to blame Kyiv.
Russia observed a national day of mourning on Sunday, with dozens of people laying flowers at a memorial to the victims. Tribute posters were erected on the sides of buildings and at transport points across the country.
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Russian schools held special lessons on “terrorism” on Monday, with children wearing white ribbons in honor of the victims, state TV broadcaster said in a news bulletin.
Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon condemned the attack once more on Monday, following Russian media reported that the shooters were citizens of Tajikistan.
The attacks “call all of us, especially parents, to once once more pay more serious attention to children’s education,” he was quoted as saying by a Russian news agency. (AFP/Z-3)
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