(Moscow) The four suspected perpetrators of the attack on a concert hall near Moscow, which left at least 137 dead, were placed in pre-trial detention on Sunday after their appearance before a court in the capital.
This appearance comes on the evening of a day of mourning in Russia, after Friday’s massacre which left at least 137 dead, the deadliest attack on European soil claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).
The authorities had still not mentioned the responsibility of this group on Sunday, instead citing a Ukrainian lead.
Health services said Sunday evening that the number of injured had been reassessed at 182, of whom 101 were still hospitalized.
Investigators continued on Sunday to search the rubble of the building 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, cited 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 four men arrested and accused of “terrorism” (they face life imprisonment) were placed in pre-trial detention, said the Basmanny court in Moscow. Their detention, set until May 22, may be extended pending their trial, the date of which has not yet been set.
In total, Russian authorities reported the arrest of eleven people, including four attackers in connection with this attack.
The court played footage showing three suspects being brought into the courtroom handcuffed and doubled over by police officers, then seated in the glass cage reserved for the accused. The fourth arrived in a wheelchair, his eyes closed.
One of the suspects had a white bandage on his ear, as in previous videos of the arrest of the alleged attackers released on Saturday by investigators, where three of them appeared with blood on their faces.
According to the court, two of the accused pleaded guilty. One of them, a native of Tajikistan, “fully admitted his guilt”.
Authorities had previously said the suspects were “foreign citizens,” without mentioning their nationality. Tajikistan is a former Soviet republic in Central Asia with a Muslim majority.
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.
On Sunday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the Russian president “is a pathological liar.”
“He is now trying to link Ukraine or Western countries to the Moscow massacre, without any evidence […] Its goal is to motivate Russians to die in their senseless and criminal war against Ukraine,” he added.
A few days before the attack, Mr. Putin had described American warnings about a terrorist 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 regarding the involvement of Ukraine, a country that the Russian army attacked in February 2022.
“Ukraine also commits terrorist acts, but this has more to do with what the Islamists are doing. I don’t believe the version of Ukraine’s participation,” insisted Vamig 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.