More than 130 people were killed in a terrorist attack in a concert hall near Moscow. On March 22. a big concert was planned in the Crocus City Hall, one of the most famous in the whole world. The attackers arrived around 8pm local time and turned this event into a nightmare.
What happened on this day?
The attack took place on Friday evening in the Crocus City Hall, an event hall northwest of the Russian capital, Moscow. In the hall, which can accommodate thousands of guests, a concert of the Russian band “Piknik” from St. Petersburg was to take place at that time.
According to Russian investigators, several armed assailants in camouflage clothing entered the hall and opened fire on the visitors with automatic firearms.There was also an explosion during the attack. The attackers threw a grenade or incendiary bomb. According to the State Investigation Committee, the attackers used a flammable liquid “to set a fire in the concert hall’s rooms, where there were spectators and injured people.”A fire broke out in the concert hall, which, according to the Tass news agency, spread to about a third of the building and almost the entire roof. Rescue services on site also estimated that at least 13,000 square meters of land had been destroyed or damaged by the flames.
Islamic State Admits to Attack
The jihadist militia Islamic State confessed to the attack in the short message service telegram. There is no official confirmation of this claim by the Russian authorities. In the predominantly Muslim republics of the North Caucasus, underground militias have repeatedly fought against the Russian state power in recent decades. Meanwhile, thousands of men fought for the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
“Bloody Terrorist Attack in Russia”
The Russian Foreign Ministry called the attack a “bloody terrorist attack”. “The entire world community must condemn this heinous crime,” Ministry spokeswoman Maria Sakharova wrote in the online service Telegram.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin spoke of a great tragedy. He expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. Sobyanin added that all sports, cultural and other events in Moscow had been canceled for the weekend.
