93 people are now known to have died in a terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall on the outskirts of Moscow in Russia. Three children are among the dead. 107 people are in hospital, with about 60 of them described as being in a serious condition. Authorities were yet to identify them all.
A number of gunmen stormed the concert hall, opening fire, and later set the venue ablaze. The Russian Investigative Committee said its preliminary findings were that the terrorists had used automatic weapons and flammable liquid to start the fire. There had been earlier reports that explosives were used.
Russian media has reported that President Vladimir Putin has been informed that 11 suspects have been detained, including four people directly responsible for the attack. A Russian lawmaker has claimed the two suspects were detained after a car chase in the Bryansk region, to the south-west of Moscow. The reports remain unverified.
Russia has yet to officially say who it belives carried out the attack. A claim has surfaced that the attack was carried out by Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) a regional affiliate of the IS terrorist organisation. US intelligence told American news agencies that there’s “no reason to doubt” the IS claims of responsibility.
Russian intelligence sources have told Russian media that the US did provide a generalised warning that there might be a terror attack in Moscow. On 7 March the US embassy in Moscow had warned citizens to avoid large gatherings. Putin had dismissed the warnings in public on 19 March.
Moscow authorities have said they will pay compensation to those affected by the attack, and will organise funerals for the victims. People have been leaving flowers at a makeshift memorial at the Crocus City Hall, and many people have come forward to donate blood, to the extent that one hospital has had to turn would-be donors away.
Russia’s Investigative Committee, in issuing the new death toll of 93, has also warned that the toll is still expected to rise.
Tass reports that the committee has confirmed that the terrorists used automatic weapons during the attack, and that they used flammable liquid to set the building on fire.
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