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Moscow concert hall attack: What do we know so far?
The attack on the entertainment venue in Moscow’s west is one of the worst Russia has seen in decades.
The Crocus City Hall, which includes a shopping centre and conference venue, lies in suburban Krasnogorsk, about 20km (12 miles) west of the Kremlin and alongside the Moscow ring road. Opened in 2009, the concert hall is a popular entertainment venue with a capacity for 6,200 people.
Former United States President Donald Trump once held a Miss Universe contest there.
The attack began on Friday evening just as people were taking their seats for a sold-out show by Picnic, a popular rock band from the Soviet era. As many as five men in combat fatigues entered the concert hall and opened fire on those inside.
Eyewitnesses recount horror of ISIS terror attack on Moscow concert hall
Witness interviews and video footage reviewed by Reuters have pieced together more of what took place during a terror attack at a Moscow concert hall.
Four armed men arrived in a mini-van and fired through the glass doors of the main entrance, shooting at anyone who crossed their path before making their way inside the concert hall.
Some witnesses said the men poured a liquid on seating and curtains inside the concert hall before igniting it.
The four armed men walked calmly towards the metal detectors at Crocus City Hall, firing their automatic weapons point-blank in short bursts at terrified civilians who fell screaming in a hail off bullets.
Nearby, one witness named Natalya had just taken off her coat and was standing in line on Friday evening at the internal entrance to the 6,200-seat concert hall outside Moscow.
Putin says 'Islamists' behind Moscow attack, links them to Ukraine
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 suggested they were linked to Ukraine somehow.
Eleven people have been detained in connection with the attack, which saw camouflaged gunmen storm into Crocus City Hall, open fire on concert-goers and set the building ablaze, killing at least 139 people.
Ukraine had no involvement in Russia concert hall attack that killed at least 133, U.S. says
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack. A U.S. official told CBS News that the U.S. has intelligence confirming the Islamic State's claims of responsibility, and that they have no reason to doubt those claims.
The U.S. Embassy in Russia had previously advised Americans to stay away from concert venues, citing the threat of a terrorist attack. The U.S. official confirmed that the U.S. provided intelligence to Russia about a potential attack under the intelligence community's Duty to Warn requirement.
Russia charges 4 men over Moscow concert hall terrorist attack
Russia has charged four men on accusations of killing more than 130 people Friday in a coordinated attack on a Moscow concert hall.
The men were each brought before the Moscow Basmanny District Court on Sunday and charged with committing a terrorist act.
The court identified the suspects on its official Telegram account as Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Saidakrami Rachabalizodu, Shamsidin Fariduni and Muhammadsobir Fayzov.
First charges laid following Moscow concert hall attack as Russia mourns 137 victims
Moscow's Basmanny district court charged four suspects with acts of terrorism in connection with the attack. Russian authorities have said 11 people have been detained, including the four gunmen.
President Vladimir Putin declared a national day of mourning after pledging to track down and punish all those behind the attack which killed 137 people.
Islamic State Claims Deadly Terrorist Attack at Moscow Concert Hall
Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack at a Moscow concert hall that left as many as 133 people dead and injured many others. U.S. officials have pointed to Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) as the perpetrator, and IS released bodycam footage of the attack. Based on videos of the attack, the terrorists appeared to be well-trained, moving methodically as they shot their victims.
One of the militants used an incendiary device to set the concert hall on fire. The attack was reminiscent of spectacular terror attacks conducted by Chechen militants in the 2000s, including the hostage crisis at Moscow’s Dubrovka theater in October 2002. Russia has long struggled with jihadist terrorism and has waged an on-again, off-again counterinsurgency in Russian republics such as Chechnya, Dagestan, North Ossetia, and Ingushetia over the years.
Islamic State included many militants from the former Soviet Union among its ranks and Russian was the second most common language used in Islamic State schools during the height of the group’s so-called caliphate. IS-K has been fixated on Russia for the past several years, frequently criticizing Putin in its propaganda. IS-K accuses the Kremlin of having Muslim blood on its hands, referencing Moscow's interventions in Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Syria.
Who are ISIS-K, the group linked to the Moscow concert hall terror attack?
The Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, claimed responsibly for Friday’s deadly assault on a concert venue in Moscow, releasing graphic footage purporting to show its gunmen carrying out what was Russia’s worst terror attack in decades.
Russian authorities have accused four men from the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan of being behind the attack, which left at least 137 people dead and more than 100 injured. The suspects, who are charged with committing a terrorist act and face possible life imprisonment, have been remanded into pre-trial detention through May 22 after appearing in court in Moscow on Sunday.
US officials have tied the attack to the Islamic State in Khorasan, or ISIS-K, an ISIS affiliate that operates in central Asia, which has become one of the region’s most brutal and feared terror groups.
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