Attack near Moscow: IS terrorist militia spreads video of attack on Crocus City Hall

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Flag at half-mast over the Duma in Moscow: Russia remembers the victims of the attack with a national day of mourning

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Shamil Zhumatov / REUTERS

The terrorist militia “Islamic State” (IS) published a video of the attack on the Crocus City Hall near Moscow via Telegram, which was allegedly shot by the attackers. The one and a half minute video shows scenes of the attack on the concert hall, in which 133 people were killed. According to the US company Site, which specializes in monitoring extremist Islamist platforms, the recordings were distributed on a channel operated by the IS propaganda organ Amaq.

Several people armed with assault rifles and knives can be seen and heard apparently firing shots in the entrance hall of the Crocus City Hall in the Moscow suburb of Krasnogorsk. The faces and voices of the attackers are unrecognizable, numerous lifeless bodies lie around them, and fire can be seen in the background.

The “Islamic State – Khorasan” claimed responsibility for the attack shortly after the crime. (Read more about the IS offshoot “Khorasan” here.) International experts classified this as authentic, and Russian authorities were looking for a connection to Ukraine. Kremlin chief Putin said in a televised speech that the four attackers were arrested as "they were moving towards Ukraine." According to initial findings, a time window had been prepared there for them to cross the border. These accusations have been repeatedly rejected by Kiev.

Zelensky: Putin wants to shift the blame

On Saturday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Putin of wanting to “shift the blame.” In his daily video address, Zelensky said: Putin and his followers are "just trying to blame someone else."

According to US findings, IS bears sole responsibility for the fatal attack. There was no Ukrainian involvement, US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said on Saturday. The U.S. government shared information with Russia about a planned attack in Moscow earlier this month and issued a public warning to Americans in Russia on March 7, Watson said in a statement. Moscow ignored these tips.

Masked attackers broke into the packed Crocus City Hall in the northwest Moscow suburb of Krasnogorsk on Friday evening and opened fire. According to the Russian authorities, at least 133 people were killed; on Saturday evening, the Emergencies Ministry announced the names of 29 initially identified victims. It was the most serious attack in Russia in over 20 years (read a chronicle of deadly terrorist attacks in Russia here).

Clean-up work at Crocus City Hall, National Remembrance Day in Russia

The number of victims of the terrorist attack initially remained at 133. The state news agency Tass reported this on Sunday morning, citing the Emergencies Ministry for the Moscow region. The number of injured rose from 147 to 152, including five children. Many of the injured are said to be in critical condition.

During the night, heavy machinery cleared rubble from the site. It had been feared that more victims could be found under the rubble of the badly damaged concert hall in Krasnogorsk, northwest of Moscow. According to authorities, the clean-up and rescue work should last at least until Sunday evening.

Russia is commemorating the victims with a national day of remembrance this Sunday. The four main suspects in the terrorist attack were brought to Moscow for questioning on Saturday evening. On Saturday, Russian authorities announced the arrest of a total of eleven suspects.

The editor-in-chief of the Russian state broadcaster RT, formerly known as Russia Today, Margarita Simonyan, published two videos that are said to show interrogations of two suspected perpetrators. Both admit their involvement in the attack, but say nothing about those behind it. The authenticity of these videos could not initially be verified.

mgo/AFP/dpa/Reuters