As of the 23rd, 143 people have been killed and 11 suspects have been arrested.
A shooting incident occurred in a concert hall in Krasnogorsk, a suburb of Moscow, the Russian capital, on the evening of the 22nd, and Russia identified it as a terrorist attack. As of the 23rd, the incident has caused 143 deaths and 11 suspects have been arrested.
Russian authorities said they would "blood out", but they have not identified the attacker. Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a televised speech on the 23rd, announcing the 24th as a national mourning day. The international community has expressed condemnation of this incident.
One of the worst terrorist attacks in Russia in more than a decade.
The Russian Federal Security Service said on the evening of 22nd that the attack took place in the concert hall of Rokus City in northwest Moscow, when a band was giving a concert. According to RIA Novosti, the gunmen were unidentified people dressed in camouflage uniforms, and they also threw grenades or incendiary bombs to cause a fire.
According to Russian media reports on the 23rd, the terrorist attacks have killed 143 people. Russian President Vladimir Putin made a televised speech on the terrorist attacks on the 23rd, announcing March 24th as a national mourning day. He promised to provide necessary assistance to the unfortunate families and the injured, and expressed deep and sincere condolences to the families of all the victims.
A survivor said in an interview with the media, "Armed men broke into the concert hall and fired at the crowd for several rounds. A woman suddenly exclaimed, and then screams continued." There was an explosion in the concert hall, and people fled in panic.
A person familiar with the matter said that the Grenade or incendiary bomb thrown by the attacker caused an explosion and fire, and the concert hall, which can accommodate 6,200 spectators, was instantly swallowed up by the fire.
The "Ke Rokus City" Concert Hall is located in the northwest of Moscow, close to the ring road and about 23 kilometers away from the city center. The concert hall belongs to Ke Rokus Group, which specializes in the construction and operation of commercial real estate. It was officially opened on October 25, 2009, and it is a part of the local cultural and recreational facilities complex. There are also Ke Rokus City shopping mall, Ke Rokus exhibition center and various hotels and restaurants nearby.
This is one of the most serious terrorist attacks in Russia in more than a decade. After the terrorist attacks, Russia announced many measures to strengthen security. The security inspection of Moscow airport, railway station, subway station, bus station and other crowd gathering places is obviously stricter than usual. Moscow and other places announced the cancellation of all sports, culture and other large-scale activities.
Russian media announces details of suspect’s confession
According to Putin, a total of 11 suspected terrorists have been arrested, and 4 of them directly carried out terrorist attacks. Putin pointed out that four direct perpetrators of the terrorist attacks tried to escape in the direction of Ukraine. Preliminary information shows that the Ukrainian side has prepared a cross-border "window" for them. The Russian Federal Security Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating all accomplices who provide transportation for terrorists, plan escape routes, prepare and hide weapons and ammunition.
Today, Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Russian media group, posted an interrogation video on social media on 23rd, showing the details of the confession of the suspect in the terrorist attack in the suburbs of Moscow.
The terrorist suspect Chams-Eddine Fariddun was born in 1998. He confessed in the video that he entered Russia from Turkey on March 4th. A month ago, the recruiter contacted him through social media "telegram" and provided weapons. In addition, the recruiter also sent him the specific coordinates of the terrorist attack and ordered him to shoot indiscriminately. "There is no difference, who will kill who."
Fariddun said, "I shot someone in the concert hall for money." He said that the recruiter promised about 500,000 rubles (about 40,000 yuan). Half of the money has been transferred to his bank card, and the other half promises to transfer it after it is done. But he threw away everything, including the bank card, on the way to escape the chase.
According to Russian written reports today, Fariddun revealed at the end of the trial that the recruiter once promised to pay about 1 million rubles (about 80,000 yuan).
Simonyan also released another interrogation video on the same day. In the video, a Tajik-speaking man, with the help of an interpreter, confessed that he and a companion stayed in a hotel next to a highway in Moscow for more than ten days. "I haven’t worked for a long time, and I want to work (make money)".
The Russian side believes that the attackers have been preparing for a long time.
In response to this terrorist attack, Russian analysts generally believe that the attackers have been planning for a long time. Putin said that this was a carefully planned terrorist attack and a prepared and organized mass slaughter of unarmed civilians. "Criminals calmly and purposefully kill and shoot our citizens and our children at close range."
According to CNN, the extremist organization "Islamic State" claimed to have created this incident. This statement has not been confirmed by Russia.
According to the Associated Press reported on the 23rd, the Russian security department announced on the 7th of this month that it had foiled an attempted attack by the Islamic State on a synagogue in Moscow, killing several members of the Islamic State in the Kaluga area west of Moscow. The embassies of many western countries in Moscow, including the United States, subsequently issued warnings to remind their citizens to avoid going to places where people gather in Moscow, saying that extremists may launch terrorist attacks.
The White House expressed its condolences to the victims after the incident, and said that "there are no signs of Ukrainian government or citizens participating in this incident", indicating that it will continue to pay attention to the progress of the incident. Zacharova, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, immediately responded that while the tragedy was still happening, there was great doubt about the US’s "conclusion that so-and-so did not participate". If the US had reliable information, it should hand it over to the Russian side.
Podolyak, adviser to the President’s Office, and the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs both denied Ukraine’s involvement in the terrorist attack.
Volodin, chairman of the Russian State Duma, stressed that "the scum who made this appalling terrorist attack must be eliminated". Medvedev, vice chairman of the Russian Security Council, also warned that the participants in this terrorist attack must be "blood out". If it is determined that the attacker was instigated by the Ukrainian side, the Russian side must find it and destroy it.
Tolstoy, vice chairman of the Russian State Duma, believes that this terrorist attack cannot be considered in isolation from the background of Russia’s special military action and Russia’s confrontation with the "collective West". "This terrible day will only make us more United and fight until victory."
On 23rd, the Supreme Leader of president sent a message of condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the heavy casualties caused by this attack, stressing that China opposes all forms of terrorism, strongly condemns terrorist attacks and firmly supports the Russian government’s efforts to safeguard national security and stability.
UN Secretary-General Guterres strongly condemned the terrorist attack and expressed condolences to the families of the victims, the Russian government and people. French, German, Uruguayan, Tunisia and other countries also strongly condemned the terrorist attacks. (According to Xinhua News Agency)
feature article
Sleepless in Moscow
The whole of Russia experienced a sleepless night. A shooting incident occurred in a concert hall in Krasnogorsk, northwest of the capital Moscow, on the evening of 22nd, causing a large number of casualties. The reporter immediately drove to the scene of the incident.
This tragedy happened in "Rokus City", and "Rokus" means "crocus" in Russian. "Ke Rokus City" is a commercial complex integrating exhibition halls, concert halls, multi-functional residences and shopping and entertainment centers. It is located in the northwest of Moscow and close to the Great Ring Road.
Witnesses said that the attackers were militants dressed in camouflage uniforms. They were shooting in the concert hall. The scene was very chaotic, and many people were hiding behind chairs. They also threw grenades or incendiary bombs, and suddenly flames and smoke were everywhere.
When the reporter’s vehicle traveled one kilometer away from the incident, the road began to be congested, and a strong smell of smoke could be smelled in the car. After continuing to drive at a low speed for a certain distance, the reporter saw on the roadside of the Great Ring Road that a building in the commercial complex of "Ke Rokus City" was ablaze, billowing smoke, the roof almost completely collapsed, the top outer window was broken, and flames popped out from time to time. Several helicopters are sprinkling water over the scene of the incident.
Outside the road fence, the reporter saw a large number of people and vehicles around the scene of the incident. The large open-air parking lot in Rokus City is full of police cars, ambulances and fire engines. Law enforcement officers prohibit irrelevant personnel and vehicles from entering and leaving. Since the attacker has not yet been arrested, law enforcement officers are worried that the attacker will blend in with the crowd and cause harm to the people again, so the relevant areas are strictly controlled.
The Russian Federal Security Service said on the evening of 22nd that a concert was being held in the concert hall of Rokus City when the incident happened. There are many minors in the list of the wounded announced by the health department of Moscow state.
Immediately after the incident, Moscow Mayor sobyanin announced that Moscow would cancel all major events this weekend. Leningrad, Arkhangelsk and other places announced the cancellation of all cultural and entertainment activities. Russian railways, civil aviation and other departments also issued statements to strengthen security inspection from now on.
Beginning on the evening of the 22nd, Russian people organized activities spontaneously, and electronic screens in several Russian cities also displayed candle patterns to mourn the victims of this terrorist attack. Nadezhda, a resident who lives near the incident, said: "I feel very sad and sad. It is terrible to attack civilians!" Alexei, a citizen of Moscow, said that he was "shocked" by the attack and hoped that the relevant departments would strengthen safety supervision and arrest the murderer as soon as possible.
(According to Xinhua News Agency)
