At least 93 people are dead and more than 140 have been wounded after gunmen open fired at a rock concert at Crocus City Hall in a suburb of Moscow on Friday evening local time, Russian intelligence says.
Four people directly involved in the attack are among 11 arrested, Russia’s security chief has told President Vladimir Putin this morning.
The US says it’s credible that an affiliate of the Islamic State group could be behind the attack, after the group said they carried out the attack.
The White House also says it warned Russia of a potential attack on “large gatherings” in Moscow earlier this month. Russia has not commented.
Ukraine – currently at war with Russia – has denied any involvement.
The Kremlin says Putin has been briefed on what happened – he has not addressed the nation directly, but according to a deputy has wished those injured a speedy recovery.
Security has tightened across Russia, with events cancelled as the country’s national guard searches for the attackers and dispatches its investigators to the site.
What has Putin said about Moscow shooting?
Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to make any public statement about the Moscow concert hall attack, the deadliest in Russia for nearly two decades.
The Kremlin said the head of Russia’s security service had informed Putin about the 11 arrests made today, including four people directly involved in the attack.
According to one of his deputies, Putin has wished those injured a speedy recovery.
Earlier this month, the US embassy in Moscow warned of “extremists” having imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, including concerts, and as the BBC’s Security correspondent Gordon Corera explains, that warning appears to have been dismissed by Russian officials.
And what was President Putin’s reaction at the time? He called such warnings from the West, “open blackmail, an attempt to scare and destabilise [Russian] society”.
Nothing can ever justify such horrific violence – Lord Cameron
Western leaders have publicly condemned the Moscow concert hall attack in which at least 93 people were killed by gunmen.
We’ve just been hearing from the UK’s Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron, who says:
“The UK condemns in the strongest terms the deadly terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall near Moscow. We offer our heartfelt condolences and express our deepest sympathy to the families of the many victims. Nothing can ever justify such horrific violence.”
We’ve also been hearing from the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz:
“We condemn the terrible terrorist attack on innocent concertgoers in Moscow. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims and all those injured.”
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also been speaking and condemns in the “strongest possible terms” last night’s deadly terrorist attack, according to his spokesperson.
Guterres “conveys his deep condolences to the bereaved families and the people and the Government of the Russian Federation”, he adds in his statement.
