At least a dozen people were killed and many more injured, according to unofficial reports, when gunmen in combat fatigues opened fire and detonated explosives at a large concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow.
Pictures of Crocus Town Hall engulfed in flames were released as footage of the concert hall attack was released, showing at least four gunmen opening fire with automatic weapons as panicked Russians fled for their lives. was.
In one video, three men in military uniforms with rifles fired at point-blank range at bodies strewn across the lobby of a concert hall. The attackers appear to have detonated explosives, as explosions can be heard in other videos from the attack. According to the news agency, there were at least two explosions at the concert hall on Friday night.
Videos posted online showed horrifying scenes as the roof of the concert hall burst into flames and several people called for help from the roof. Another video showed a victim being treated for gunshot wounds on the street outside the building.
Local government actions indicated that authorities considered the attack a serious incident. Sobyanin said Moscow would cancel all cultural, sports and other large events over the weekend following the attack, as Russia's railways and other major electricity companies announced they were beefing up security.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called the attack a “great tragedy.” At least 70 ambulances were called to the scene of the attack.
Earlier this month, Western countries led by the United States issued a terror warning and asked people not to attend public gatherings in Russia. On March 8, the embassy said it was “monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, including concerts. People should be advised to avoid public gatherings.”
“The attackers probably used automatic weapons to fire at the entrance to the building during the concert, after which a fire started inside the building,” emergency services said. Authorities said up to five people took part in the attack, but more may have been involved, according to video evidence.
Other videos showed people screaming, running out of music venues on all fours and running down stairs. According to Russian media reports, riot police were dispatched to the area as people evacuated. Speznaz units of the Russian National Guard began storming the building late Friday night. Russian news agency Baza News Agency reported that some of the attackers may have escaped.
The concert hall shooting was reminiscent of Europe's worst terrorist attacks, such as the November 2015 Bataclan attack in Paris. Russians are likely to remember the 2002 Nord-Ost terrorist attack in Moscow, when gunmen took hostages in a theater. In one of the worst incidents in the history of this country.
Russian news agency 112, which specializes in crime reporting, reported that 40 people were killed and more than 100 injured. Emergency workers said they had evacuated 100 people who had taken shelter in the building's basement, but it was unclear whether police had succeeded in neutralizing the attackers by Friday night.
“The footage of the attack was simply horrifying and painful to watch,” White House National Security Press Secretary John Kirby said. Kirby added that the White House had no indication that Ukraine was involved in the attack. Russia is fighting a major war in Ukraine.
An eyewitness told the Mash Telegram channel that there were “at least five” assailants and that they “had beards.”
“They act like trained combatants,” the report said. “The moment they entered the building, the guards and the people standing at the door were killed. Then they blocked the front entrance.”
“The terrorists are armed with [Kalashnikov] It’s an assault rifle,” the official said. “Some were carrying vests containing various ammunition. At least two of the attackers were carrying backpacks, possibly containing petrol bombs.”
The attack took place at a concert by the Russian rock band Piknik. Crocus Town Hall is one of the largest and most popular music venues in the Moscow region.
The warning from Western embassies came shortly after Russia said it had thwarted a shooting plot by an Islamic State-linked group in Afghanistan.
Russian authorities have recently carried out a series of raids against armed Islamic extremists in the Ingushetia region, leading to fierce gun battles between police and fighters.
It is unclear whether this is the attack mentioned in the warning.
ADD Russia has not faced a major terrorist attack on its territory since 2017, when the St. Petersburg subway explosion killed 14 people. In 2013, just before the Sochi Olympics, a suicide bomber killed 34 people in Volgograd. In 2011, a suicide bomber killed 30 people at Moscow's Domodedovo airport.
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