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Gunmen stormed a rock concert near Moscow, killing at least 40 people and wounding 100 more, authorities said, in one of the deadliest terror attacks to hit Russia in years.
Russian state media reported that the assailants fired automatic rifles and tossed what was either a hand grenade or incendiary device toward concert-goers from the main entrance of the venue, Crocus City Hall, ahead of a performance by the Russian band Picnic.
The building was set alight during the attack on Friday, and images from the scene showed flames and heavy smoke billowing out from the building.
Multiple videos circulating online showed concert-goers throwing themselves to the floor, hiding behind seats, or running away in search of an exit to the sounds of gunshots and screaming.
One video showed four gunmen making their way toward what looked like an exit, with one stopping to fire repeatedly into a group of people huddled together in a corner. Other images circulating on social media showed what appeared to be the bodies of victims, lying amid piles of shattered glass.
News of the attack prompted authorities to evacuate malls in Moscow and St. Petersburg as well as cancel public events across the country, Russian media reported.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin posted on social media that the attack was a “horrible tragedy,” while Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova called it a “bloody terrorist attack.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin, who recently earned a fifth term in office in an election widely condemned as a sham by Western democracies, had been informed of the attack. Putin has not publicly addressed the situation yet.
It’s unclear who carried out the attack. Ukraine, which has been at war with Russia since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion two years ago, denied it was responsible. Mykhailo Podolyak, a spokesperson for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on social media that Ukraine has “nothing to do” with the attack.
“Everything in this war will be decided only on the battlefield,” he said. “Terrorist attacks do not solve any problems.”
The United States Embassy in Moscow on March 7 had warned it was “monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts.”
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Friday that Washington was trying to get more information about the incident, but noted that the “images were just horrible.”
“Our thoughts obviously are going to be with the victims of this terrible, terrible shooting attack,” he said.
Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Iran, France, Serbia and Turkey also sent their official condolences.
Veronika Melkozerova contributed to this report.
