Attack on concert hall near Moscow: Putin suggests Ukraine's involvement in the attack

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Russia's ruler Putin during his TV speech

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Kremlin.ru / REUTERS

The Russian president addressed the public in a TV address one day after the attack on a concert hall near Moscow that killed more than 100 people. Whoever ordered this attack will be held accountable, Vladimir Putin said in a speech to the nation. All assassins have been caught.

Putin expressed his condolences to the injured and the relatives of the victims of the attack. The security precautions have been tightened. Putin ordered Sunday to be a nationwide day of mourning. Everyone responsible for the attack would be punished. The attack was the deadliest in Russia in years and left the concert hall a smoldering ruin.

The extremist militia “Islamic State” (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack on Friday evening. Putin nevertheless drew a connection to Ukraine, which Russia has been waging war on for two years on his orders. The attackers tried to escape towards Ukraine, Putin said. According to Putin, preliminary information indicated that some people on the Ukrainian side were willing to let them cross the border from Russia. He provided no evidence to support this claim.

Ukraine has again rejected suggestions from Russia that it was involved in the attack. Such suggestions about a Ukrainian connection have nothing to do with reality, says a spokesman for Ukrainian military intelligence. Rather, this is “another lie from the Russian secret service.” And further: »Ukraine was of course not involved in this terrorist attack. Ukraine defends its sovereignty against Russian invaders, liberates its own territory and fights against the occupying forces and against military targets, not against civilians.

“Islamic State” publishes photo of suspected attackers

Meanwhile, the terrorist organization “Islamic State” (IS) has once again claimed responsibility for the attack. She published a photo that is said to show the four suspected attackers. The attack is related to the "raging war" between IS and the countries that fight Islam, the Amak news agency, the mouthpiece of the IS militia, said on the short message service Telegram.

A US intelligence official told the AP news agency that US authorities had confirmed that the group was responsible for the attack. Experts had already classified IS's letters of responsibility as credible on Friday evening.

mgo/AFP/Reuters