Children among more than 60 killed as gunmen open fire at concert venue in Moscow
Over 60 people, including children, were tragically killed in a concert hall in the Moscow region of Russia when attackers entered and started shooting at the attendees. The Islamic State group has taken credit for the heinous act.
The attackers, dressed in military-style clothing, started a big fire at Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, a city located to the west of Moscow. This occurred simultaneously with the shooting incident.
Over 100 people got injured when attackers opened fire last Friday evening.
Earlier, it was reported by the Russian media that the roof of the venue was caving in.
There were reports from Russia indicating that the fire may have caused people to become stuck.
Stay up-to-date: Islamic State claims responsibility for a shooting incident.
Maria Lvova-Belova, who is responsible for protecting the rights of children in Russia, has reported that the shooting has claimed the lives of over 60 individuals, including children.
According to Reuters, the attack was claimed by the Islamic State on their Telegram channel.
According to a US official, the news agency has reported that the United States possesses intel verifying the group's declaration of accountability.
According to the official who spoke to Reuters, we provided the necessary caution to the Russians.
Recently, a representative from the National Security Council (NSC) in the United States mentioned to NBC News, Sky News' US partner, that they had provided information about a potential terrorist attack in Moscow to the Russian government.
On March 7, the US Embassy in Russia cautioned US citizens to stay away from big groups and stated they were keeping an eye on information indicating possible extremist acts targeting large assemblies in Moscow.
A few weeks ago, the US government received intel about a possible terrorist attack in Moscow that could have been aimed at big events like concerts. This caused the State Department to issue a warning to US citizens who were in Russia, as stated by the spokesperson for the NSC, Adrienne Watson.
According to Ms. Watson, the US administration followed its traditional policy of "duty to warn" by giving the same information to Russian authorities as well.
Several days after the Russian President Vladimir Putin accused “Western structures” of practicing blackmail by warning of potential terrorist attacks, a new attack occurred. The attack took place against the country's intelligence agency known as the Federal Security Service.
After the attack on Friday, the fate of the attackers remains uncertain and state officials are currently investigating it as a terrorist act. This occurrence was the most fatal attack to have taken place in Russia in recent times.
Video captured from within the auditorium displays the presence of about four armed individuals shooting automatic firearms while individuals within the vicinity cringe and conceal themselves behind their seats.
Evaluation: The city of Kyiv has concerns that Putin may use the violence in Moscow as an opportunity to increase his military conflict in Ukraine.
The assailants hurled incendiary devices, causing a colossal fire to erupt.
Russian media and Telegram channels have uploaded various videos that capture the sound of continuous gunfire and show armed men walking around the mall.
According to news reports from Russia, the individuals who carried out the attack threw explosives, resulting in a huge fire at the location. This caused flames and thick clouds of black smoke to rise up into the sky.
According to accounts, individuals who attended the concert have been relocated; however, there could be an unspecified amount who have been caught by the fire.
All the tickets for the performance of Picnic, a rock group from the Soviet era, in the concert hall with a capacity of 6,200 seats, had been completely sold.
The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, expressed his deep sadness regarding the attack and called it a significant loss. He decided to cancel all planned public events for the upcoming weekend.
The officials of Russia declared that the security measures had been increased at the airports and train stations located in Moscow.
Dmitry Peskov, a representative of the Kremlin, stated that President Putin was being constantly informed about the shooting incident.
The US embassy in Russia cautioned that there are plans by extremists to launch attacks on large events in Moscow, including music concerts, which may happen very soon, two weeks ago.
The warning came out a few hours later after the FSB announced that it had prevented an Islamic State group attack on a synagogue in Moscow.
The White House has stated that there is no evidence suggesting Ukraine's involvement in the situation.
John Kirby, the national security adviser of the White House, expressed his inability to disclose all information at this moment but he expressed his distress over the images, stating that they are awful and extremely difficult to witness.
According to Mr Kirby, there is currently no indication that Ukraine or its citizens were involved in the matter.
Russia stated that if the United States was certain that Ukraine was not involved, then it ought to disclose any relevant knowledge it possessed.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, questioned the basis for the officials in Washington to make assumptions about someone's innocence amidst a tragic event.
The woman stated that if Washington possessed any information, it ought to be disseminated. On the other hand, if the information was nonexistent, the city should refrain from making baseless claims.
Mykhailo Podolyak, who serves as a presidential advisor in Ukraine, stated that the assault was not related to Kyiv.
To put it plainly, these events were completely unrelated to Ukraine, according to Mr. Podolyak.
We are currently engaged in a massive and intense battle with the Russian regular army and the entire Russian Federation as a nation. No matter what happens, the outcome will ultimately be determined through fighting on the front lines.
This occurred a few days after Mr. Putin won his fifth term as the president of Russia by a wide margin in the election.
During the early 2000s, Russia experienced a string of fatal acts of terrorism while combating separatists in Chechnya, a province within Russia.
Back in October 2002, a group of Chechen militants held hostage around 800 individuals in a Moscow theater. Two days following the event, Russian special forces intervened, resulting in the loss of 129 hostages and 41 Chechen fighters. The casualties were primarily due to the gas that the Russian forces used to control the situation.
Back in September 2004, approximately thirty Chechen rebels took over a school in Russian southern territory, holding hundreds of people as hostages. Sadly, the event saw a tragic conclusion after just two days, resulting in over 330 deaths, with around half of the casualties being innocent children.
