Victor EzejaIn what is considered the worst attack on Moscow, capital of Russia in many years, at least 133 people were killed and more than 100 wounded when gunmen stormed a concert hall and shot sporadically on Friday.
This comes days after Vladimir Putin assumed his fifth term in office.
The Islamic State group (IS) has claimed responsibility for the attack. IS said four of its members carried out the attack.
Crocus City Hall, where the incident took place is on the outskirts of Moscow, about 20km from the Kremlin.
According to a BBC report, the concert was about to start at the complex where more than 6,000 Russians had gathered on Friday evening when the gunmen struck. The attackers were said to have arrived the complex in camouflage uniform shooting randomly before proceeding into the concert hall itself and opening fire there.
While some dead and injured victims were due to shootings, others were as a result of fire set by the terrorists that eventually brought down the complex as the flame raged.
While confirming its responsibility for the attack in a statement on Friday, IS also released photograph of what it claimed were the four attackers with their faces masked.
On its part, Russian Interior Ministry said four suspected gunmen already detained, are all foreign nationals. It added that a total of 11 people have been arrested in connection with the attack.
Speaking about casualties Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said “there are 107 patients in medical institutions, of which three children – one child is in extremely serious condition, two children are in serious condition.”
Commenting on the terror attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin, described it as a “barbaric terrorist act” and declared Sunday, March 24, a national day of mourning.
US Warning Before the Terror Attack
The US government had on March 7 issued an alert to its citizens in Russia to avoid large gatherings in Moscow, especially at concerts that there was likely going to be an attack by Islamic State group.
Some reports said the US government also shared the information with Russian authorities. However, Russian officials said the US intelligence lacked specific detail.
Putin subsequently dismissed the warning about the possibility of terrorist attacks in Russia as “outright blackmail and an intention to intimidate and destabilise our society.”
A New York Times report quoted Colin Clarke, a counterterrorism analyst based in New York as saying that “ISIS-K has been fixated on Russia for the past two years.
“ISIS-K accuses the Kremlin of having Muslim blood in its hands, referencing Moscow’s interventions in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Syria.”
Russia has launched a comprehensive investigation into the incident.
Putin said that preliminary findings indicate that the attack was carefully planned and that “a window for border crossing was prepared for them by the Ukrainian side.”
However, Ukraine’s military intelligence spokesman, Andriy Yusov, countered the claims saying it is a lie.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
