Russia l observed a national day of mourning on Sunday after a massacre in a Moscow concert hall that killed more than 130 people, the deadliest attack in Europe to have been claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to punish those behind the “barbaric terrorist attack”, saying four gunmen trying to flee to Ukraine had been arrested.
Kyiv has strongly denied any connection, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Putin of trying to shift the blame onto them.
Putin, in his first public remarks on the attack, made no reference to a statement by IS claiming responsibility.
At least 143 people were killed when camouflaged gunmen stormed the Crocus City Hall, in Moscow’s northern suburb of Krasnogorsk, and then set fire to the building on Friday evening.
The Islamic State group wrote on Telegram on Saturday that the attack was “carried out by four IS fighters armed with machine guns, a pistol, knives and firebombs,” as part of “the raging war” with “countries fighting Islam”. It is the deadliest attack in Russia for almost two decades.
Russian officials expect the death toll to rise further, with more than 100 wounded in hospital. Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said rescue workers were still pulling bodies from the burnt-out building on Saturday.
The emergency situations ministry has so far named 29 of the victims, the blaze having complicated the process of identification. The ministry posted a video on Sunday of heavy equipment arriving at the scene of the fire to dismantle damaged structures and clear debris.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis on Sunday condemned the shooting attack as a “vile” act that offends God, saying his prayers were with the victims. “I assure my prayers for the victims of the vile terrorist attack carried out in Moscow, may the Lord receive them in his peace.—Agencies
