Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to track down and punish those responsible for the devastating attack on a concert hall near Moscow that left at least 133 people dead and more than 100 injured. The militant Islamist group Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the rampage, which unfolded on Friday evening as armed assailants stormed the Crocus City complex, opening fire on concertgoers and setting the building ablaze.
In a televised address on Saturday, Putin announced that 11 people had been detained in connection with the attack, including the four gunmen who were arrested while attempting to cross the border into Ukraine. The Russian leader claimed that a "window" had been prepared for the attackers to escape to Ukraine, suggesting a possible link between the attack and the ongoing conflict between the two nations.
"All the perpetrators, organizers, and those who ordered this crime will be justly and inevitably punished. Whoever they are, whoever is guiding them," Putin declared. "We will identify and punish everyone who stands behind the terrorists, who prepared this atrocity, this strike against Russia, against our people."
The FSB security service said the gunmen had contacts in Ukraine, but neither Putin nor the FSB publicly presented any proof of a connection. Ukrainian officials vehemently denied any involvement, with military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov telling Reuters, "Ukraine was of course not involved in this terror attack. Ukraine is defending its sovereignty from Russian invaders, liberating its own territory, and is fighting with the occupiers' army and military targets, not civilians."
Verified footage from the attack showed camouflage-clad gunmen opening fire with automatic weapons at concertgoers, causing panic as people rushed for the exits. Investigators said some victims died from gunshot wounds, while others perished in the massive fire that engulfed the complex. Reports indicated that the gunmen had used petrol from canisters carried in their rucksacks to ignite the blaze.
State TV editor Margarita Simonyan published a video showing one of the suspects, a young, bearded man, being interrogated aggressively by the roadside. The man, who spoke in heavily accented Russian, claimed to have flown from Turkey on March 4 and received instructions from unknown individuals via Telegram to carry out the attack in exchange for money.
The United States confirmed that it had intelligence supporting ISIS's claim of responsibility and had warned Moscow "appropriately" in recent weeks of the possibility of an attack. The U.S. embassy in Russia had previously cautioned that "extremists" had imminent plans for an attack in Moscow, just hours before the FSB announced it had foiled an attack on a synagogue by ISIS's Afghan affiliate, known as ISIS-Khorasan or ISIS-K.
The attack has sent shockwaves through Russia and the international community, with world leaders expressing their condolences and condemning the heinous act of terrorism. The United Nations Security Council labeled the incident a "heinous and cowardly terrorist attack," while leaders from the United States, Europe, and the Arab world sent their sympathies to the victims and the Russian people.
As Russia grapples with the aftermath of its worst terrorist attack in decades, questions remain about the effectiveness of the nation's security measures and the ongoing threat posed by ISIS and its affiliates. The Kremlin has tightened security at airports, transport hubs, and across the capital, while canceling large public events nationwide. The attack is likely to have far-reaching consequences for Russia's domestic security and its approach to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, as well as its relations with the international community.
CNN and Reuters contributed to this report.
