(Moscow) The death toll from the attack on Crocus City Hall in Moscow by armed men rose to 137 dead, including three children, Russian investigators announced on Sunday, saying they had found weapons and ammunition at the scene . The attack was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) armed group.
PHOTO MAXIM SHEMETOV, REUTERS
People gathered in front of Crocus City Hall on Sunday to pay tribute to the victims of the attack.
“The identification of the victims’ bodies is underway. Currently, the bodies of 137 people, including three children, have been found at the scene of the terrorist attack,” the Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement. So far, 62 bodies have been identified, he said, adding that two assault rifles and a large quantity of ammunition were found at the scene.
Occurring Friday in a concert hall located in Krasnogorsk, northwest of the Russian capital, this attack is the deadliest in Russia in twenty years, and the bloodiest to have been claimed by IS in Europe.
ISIS, which Russia is fighting in Syria and which is also active in the Russian Caucasus, has already carried out attacks in the country since the end of the 2010s. But the group has never claimed responsibility for an attack of such magnitude. magnitude.
On one of its Telegram accounts, the jihadist group had affirmed on Friday evening that the attack had been carried out by four of its members, and was part of “the context […] of the raging war” between the group and “the countries fighting Islam”.
“No Ukrainian involvement,” says Washington
SCREENSHOT INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATIONASSOCIATED PRESS
A screenshot from a video released by Russian authorities shows two of the suspects in the attack.
The American government for its part affirmed on Sunday that there was “no Ukrainian involvement” in the massacre at Crocus City Hall in Moscow, after Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned a link with Ukraine.
There is “no evidence” that Ukraine is involved in the massacre, US Vice President Kamala Harris retorted during a television interview on Sunday.
“The Islamic State (IS) bears full responsibility for this attack. There was no Ukrainian involvement,” added Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the American National Security Council, in a statement.
Washington responds to Vladimir Putin’s speech on Saturday who denounced a “barbaric terrorist” act and announced that “the four perpetrators” of the attack had been arrested “while they were heading towards Ukraine”, without mentioning the claim of the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).
But neither Vladimir Putin nor the security services (FSB) have accused IS, with the FSB saying the suspects had “proper contacts on the Ukrainian side” and were planning to flee to that country, without providing further details on the nature of these links or proof of their existence.
“Ukraine has not the slightest link with the incident,” insisted the adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, Mykhaïlo Podoliak, rejecting “absurd” accusations.
“Terrorists have no nationality”
SPUTNIK PHOTO, REUTERS ARCHIVES
Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon (right) with Russian President Vladimir Putin
Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon, for his part, told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday that “terrorists have no nationality”, while Russian media claim that the attackers at Crocus City Hall were from Tajikistan.
During a telephone exchange, Mr. Rakhmon “strongly condemned the cruel bloody attack at Crocus City Hall, emphasizing that “terrorists have no nationality, no homeland, no religion,” the security service said in a statement. press of the Tajik presidency.
Russia announced on Saturday the arrest of 11 people, including “four terrorists” – “foreign citizens” – involved in the attack which was claimed by the jihadist organization Islamic State (IS).
According to Russian media and MP Alexander Khinstein, some of the suspects are from Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic in Central Asia with a Muslim majority neighboring Afghanistan.
“At this moment of national mourning in Russia, the Tajik head of state emphasized the solidarity of all Tajik citizens with the Russian people,” argued the press service of the Tajik presidency.
For its part, the Kremlin announced at the end of this telephone conversation that the “close” cooperation between Russia and Tajikistan in the field of the fight against terrorism would “intensify”.