Page 23 - RusRPTApr24

2.8 Crocus City Hall terrorist attack
At least 133 people were killed and some 200 injured during a terrorist attack on a concert venue near Moscow, according to the Federal Security Service (FSB).
On March 22 evening, several gunmen with automatic rifles opened fire on a crowd in Crocus City Hall. Eyewitnesses have shared videos online of camouflage-clad attackers shooting people at point-blank range.
A journalist from RIA Novosti reported that the terrorists then used grenades or incendiary bombs to set the building on fire. Within an hour, the fire had spread rapidly and the roof partially collapsed. It is not known exactly how many people were in the building at the time, but it could have been as many as the venue’s capacity of 6,200.
According to Meduza, the rock band Picnic was scheduled to play a sold-out show that evening. The Bell also reported that a children’s dance competition was taking place in the Crocus Expo complex, and Moscow Children's Ombudsman Olga Yaroslavskaya said that children were injured in the attack.
Firefighters and medics soon arrived on the scene, as well as police and special forces soldiers. Putin in an address to the nation 19 hours later blamed Ukraine for the attack.
Ukrainians immediately denied any involvement. “Ukraine certainly has nothing to do with the shooting/explosions in the Crocus City Hall,” Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak posted on X,
“Ukraine has never resorted to the use of terrorist methods.” U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby also said that the U.S. had “no indication” that Ukraine was involved.
ISIS took the credit for the attack and video from eth scene shows men shouting “Allaha Akbar” whilst murdering civilians.
Two weeks earlier, the U.S. Embassy warned Americans in Russia to avoid crowded places due to the imminent threat of an extremist attack. When asked about this, Kirby clarified that the U.S. had no prior knowledge of this specific attack.
A few hours later, the Islamic State claimed responsibility through a statement posted to its Telegram channel. It reads, “Islamic State fighters attacked a large gathering of Christians in the city of Krasnogorsk on the outskirts of the Russian capital, Moscow, killing and wounding hundreds and causing great destruction to the place before they withdrew to their bases safely.”
23 RUSSIA Country Report April 2024 www.intellinews.com