Attack on Moscow | Russia in mourning, death toll rises to at least 137

(Moscow) Russia observes a day of mourning on Sunday after the massacre in a concert hall near Moscow which left at least 137 dead according to a new report, the deadliest attack on European soil claimed by the jihadist group State Islamic (IS).

The authorities had still not mentioned the responsibility of this group on Sunday, instead citing a Ukrainian lead on Saturday.

Investigators announced a new death toll of 137, including three children, compared to 133 the day before. They continue to search the rubble of the building housing the concert hall which was ravaged by a gigantic fire started by the attackers.

Vladimir Putin, who spoke once on Saturday, almost 24 hours after the events, did not make a new statement but lit a candle in the chapel of his residence near Moscow, according to his spokesperson, quoted by Russian agencies.

The police also found some 500 bullets, two Kalashnikov assault rifles and 28 magazines at the scene of the tragedy, specifying that they belonged to “the attackers”.

The Investigative Committee also released a video showing masked agents in fatigues bringing the four alleged killers, arrested the day before, to the headquarters of this body. The men are blindfolded and forced to walk bent double with their hands tied behind their backs.

Investigators must ask a court “soon” for the suspects to be placed in pre-trial detention.

No indication was given as to the fate of seven other people whose arrest was announced on Saturday, but whose alleged role in the attack was not specified.

The Investigative Committee, a powerful investigative body, did not mention the claim made on Friday by the Islamic State jihadist group.

He also said nothing on Sunday about Ukraine, although Vladimir Putin and his special services (FSB) had mentioned this possibility, because, according to them, the alleged killers were trying to reach Ukrainian territory.

Deadliest attack

This attack is the deadliest in Russia in twenty years, and the bloodiest claimed by ISIS in Europe.

The jihadist group, which Russia is fighting in Syria and which is active in the Russian Caucasus, has already carried out smaller attacks in the country since the end of the 2010s.

Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the National Security Council at the White House, said Sunday that ISIS bore “sole responsibility for this attack.” There was no Ukrainian involvement.”

British Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt also cast doubt on Mr. Putin’s version, saying he had “very little confidence” in the word of the Russian authorities.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused his Russian counterpart of wanting to “shift the blame” onto his country. And Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Saturday he hoped that the attack would not be “a pretext” for an “escalation of violence”, a clear allusion to the Russian offensive in Ukraine.

A few days before the attack, Mr. Putin had described American warnings about an attack being prepared in Russia as “provocation”.

According to the Site group, which specializes in anti-terrorism research, a video apparently shot by the attackers was broadcast on social media accounts usually used by ISIS.

We see several individuals with blurred faces, armed with assault rifles and knives, in what appears to be Crocus City Hall. They fire several bursts, numerous inert bodies litter the ground and we can see the start of a fire in the background.

“More joy”

In the streets of Moscow, opinions were divided as to the involvement of Ukraine, a country that the Russian army attacked in February 2022.

“Ukraine also commits terrorist acts but this is more related to what the Islamists are doing. I don’t believe the version of Ukraine’s participation,” insisted Vomik Aliev, a 22-year-old medical student.

For Valéry Tchernov, 52, it’s something entirely different. “Who is behind (the attackers)? The enemies of Russia and Putin to destabilize power, concretely it is possible (that) Ukraine and the West” used ISIS, he estimated.

Another outstanding question is the nationality of the shooters. According to Russian media and MP Alexandre Khinstein, some come from Tajikistan, a country facing IS and neighboring Afghanistan.

Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon and Mr. Putin spoke on Sunday and decided to “intensify” their anti-terrorism cooperation.

The Russian capital marked the national mourning decreed by the presidency. Flags were at half-mast, many entertainment venues closed and restaurants promised to donate their daily proceeds to the victims.

Posters appeared showing a candle on a black background and the inscription “Crocus City Hall.” 03/22/2024. We are in mourning…”.

“People no longer smile here, there is no more joy,” Valentina Karenina, 73, originally from Siberia and passing through Moscow, told AFP.

“My daughter called me to tell me not to go out” for fear of another attack, confides the retiree. But she nevertheless went to light a candle in a church adjoining Red Square, while the famous space was closed to the public as a security measure.