ISIS has claimed responsibility for an attack at a popular concert venue complex, near Moscow on Friday that left at least 40 people dead and more than 100 wounded after assailants stormed the venue with guns and incendiary devices.
The terror group took responsibility for the attack in a short statement published by ISIS-affiliated news agency, Amaq on Telegram on Friday.
However, the group did not provide evidence to support the claim.
Video footage from the site of the attack, the Crocus City Hall concert venue, shows the vast complex, which is home to both the music hall and a shopping center, on fire with smoke billowing into the air.
State-run RIA Novosti reported that the armed individuals “opened fire with automatic weapons” and “threw a grenade or an incendiary bomb, which started a fire,” before they “allegedly fled in a white Renault car,” it was gathered.It was also gathered that the attack unfolded before the music group Picnic was set to preform.
The band’s manager said that the performers were unharmed. The Russia Prosecutor General’s Office said that the “Unidentified people in camouflage broke into Crocus City Hall and started shooting before the start of the concert.” This screen grab from a video from the scene showed armed men inside the Crocus City Hall concert venue in Russia’s Moscow region.
CNN can not verify whether these are armed attackers or Russian authorities moving in.
Social media Video footage showed panic as the attack unfolded, with crowds of people huddling together, screaming and ducking behind cushioned seats as gunshots started echoing in the vast hall. Regional Governor, Andrey Vorobyov said that everything was being done to save people.
A SWAT team was called to the area and more than 70 ambulance teams and doctors were assisting victims.
About 100 people were evacuated from the building by firefighters, while rescuers were still working to get people off the roof, according to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called the attack a “terrible tragedy,” saying that “Today, a terrible tragedy occurred in the Crocus City center.
“My condolences to the loved ones of the victims. I gave orders to provide all necessary assistance to everyone who suffered during the incident,” Sobyanin said in a statement. Sobyanin said on Telegram that he was canceling all sports, cultural and other public events in Moscow this weekend.
According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed about the attack and is being kept updated on measures on the ground. Earlier this month, the US embassy in Russia said it was “monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow,” including concerts and therefore warned US citizens to avoid large gatherings.In a speech Tuesday to Russia’s federal security agency, Putin called the embassy’s warnings about potential terror attacks in Moscow “provocative,” saying “these actions resemble outright blackmail and the intention to intimidate and destabilize our society.”
The US embassy in Moscow on Friday said it was “aware of reports of an ongoing terrorist incident at Crocus City Hall” and advised US citizens to not travel to Russia. Ukraine, which has been embroiled in a war with Russia for more than two years, denied having any involvement in the atta
