Terrorist attack in Moscow | More than 60 dead in a theater, warning signs of the attack

Armed individuals in camouflage uniforms killed more than 60 people and injured at least 150 others in a terrorist attack at a Moscow concert hall. Embroiled in a major conflict for two years in Ukraine, the Russian authorities have come to ignore the signals of an imminent attack, far within their borders.

A few hours after the tragedy, the armed organization Islamic State claimed responsibility in a short statement published by the Amaq news agency, close to the jihadist group. The latter, however, did not provide evidence to support this claim.

The attack occurred at Crocus City Hall, a complex in the western suburbs of Moscow housing a shopping center and a 6,200-seat performance hall where a Russian rock group, Piknik, was playing to a sold-out audience on Friday evening.

A commando allegedly burst onto the floor before opening fire and throwing “a grenade or an incendiary bomb, which caused a fire,” according to a journalist from the Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

“The people in the room lay on the ground to protect themselves from the gunfire for 15 to 20 minutes, after which they started crawling out. Many managed to get out,” he told Agence France-Presse.

The capital in panic

Videos posted online show a room in panic, where a crowd of people scream and try to shelter behind padded seats as gunshots ring out.

Footage also shows Crocus City Hall in flames, with a large plume of smoke billowing from it as helicopters fly around at low altitude. By the end of the evening, the fire had been practically contained, declared the governor of the Russian capital, Andreï Vorobiov.

“The roof of the auditorium building has partly collapsed and the removal of debris continues,” he added on the social network Telegram.

Russian law enforcement officials said they were “looking” for the attackers, who fled in a car, and warned that the death toll from the attack could “increase”.

The attack caused turmoil in the Russian capital on Friday, with many citizens rushing to the burning concert hall.

“I’m completely panicked, my whole body hurts,” described Semyon Khraptsov, whose wife was at the concert and called him at the time of the attack, without him clearly understanding what she was saying to him.

“Just before the start, we suddenly heard several machine gun bursts and a terrible woman’s scream. Then a lot of screaming,” also said Alexeï, a music producer who was in a dressing room at the time of the attack.

Warning signs

This attack comes after the United States Embassy in Moscow said, two weeks ago, that it had reports “indicating that extremists [avaient] the imminent plan to target mass gatherings in Moscow, including performances.”

Information which was indeed communicated to the Russian authorities, according to what a spokesperson for the American State Department confirmed on Friday, “in accordance with its long-standing policy regarding “duty to alert”” .

Focused full time on the conflict in Ukraine, which has entered its third year, Moscow has come to neglect internal security issues, believes Maria Popova, professor of political science at McGill University.

“In such a repressive police state, they should be able to intervene, especially when the Americans warn them, as happened,” she believes. “This is a sign that they are overly engaged in the conflict in Ukraine. »

At the same time, “other potential sources of tension” seem to have been left aside, including certain “poorly extinguished conflicts” in the North Caucasus, adds Aurélie Campana, professor of political science at Laval University.

“For two years, the Islamic State, and particularly its Afghan branch [qui a revendiqué l’attaque]has never ceased on social networks to encourage Muslims in Russia to mobilize against the regime of Vladimir Putin,” she adds.

“The Afghan branch of the Islamic State accuses the Kremlin of having Muslim blood on its hands, due to Moscow’s interventions in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Syria,” says counter-terrorism analyst Colin P. Clarke. terrorism of the Soufan Group, whose comments were reported by the New York Times.

In the wake of the warning from the United States Embassy at the beginning of March, the Russian security services (FSB) had also declared that they had foiled a planned attack by this same branch of the jihadist organization against a synagogue in Russia. Several emerging plots by this group targeting targets in Europe have also been suppressed in recent months.

Putin silent, the West denounces

Re-elected last Sunday for a new six-year term, Russian President Vladimir Putin had still not reacted to the attack on Friday evening.

“The president constantly receives information about what is happening and the measures that are being taken in all relevant services, and gives the necessary instructions,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

This delayed reaction led Maria Popova of McGill University to say that the Russian president was thinking about how to use these tragic events to his advantage.

International reactions were quick to follow. The White House said it was “in thoughts with the victims of the terrible attack”, while UN Secretary-General António Guterres was among many leaders to condemn the attack.

An adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, which has been facing the Russian invasion for more than two years, said his country had “absolutely nothing to do” with the attack.

A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, Jason Kung, said Friday that the department’s heart goes out to the families of those killed and injured. “To date, no Canadian citizens have been reported to be affected and no inquiries have been received from concerned Canadian citizens,” he added.

In total, 1,209 Canadians are registered with Global Affairs Canada as being in Russia, a number that should be put into perspective since registration is voluntary. Especially since Ottawa has been recommending for some time to its nationals to avoid any travel to Russia “due to the repercussions of the armed conflict with Ukraine and the risk of terrorism”.

With Agence France-Presse, Reuters, CNN and The New York Times