Over 100 people killed following attack on concert hall in Moscow
The attackers burst into the event space and opened fire randomly
Last updated 23rd Mar 2024
Over 100 people have been killed following an attack on a concert hall on the outskirts of Russia's capital, Moscow.
The assailants targeted the Crocus City Hall, a large event space in the western part of the capital, towards the suburb of Krasnogorsk.
Thousands of fans had gathered at the concert hall on Friday night (March 22nd) to see Russian band Picnic perform when the attack began.
Upon entering the building, the attackers went into the concert area and began shooting randomly, spraying the room with gunfire, killing at least 115 people.
According to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), four people were directly involved in the attack, with another 11 being detained for questioning.
In a statement on their social media channels, the so-called Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.
American intelligence that was provided to Russian officials confirmed that the group's branch in Afghanistan were due to target the city.
However, despite the claim that Islamic State was behind the attack, Russian officials tracked the assailants to having links to Ukraine, in which Russia is waging full-scale war against.
According to Russia's Investigative Committee, the four suspects were stopped in the Bryansk region, "not far from the border with Ukraine". The men were allegedly due to cross the border and "had connections" on the other side of the frontier.
Following the attack, major leaders and politicians across the world condemned the attack, including Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, who denounced the incident "in the strongest possible terms".
The attack comes just days after leader Vladimir Putin was elected for another six years in office as President.
His election win - which many question due to allegations of fraud and vote tampering - makes Putin the longest-serving Russian leader since Stalin. He won 87% of votes in the official results.