On Friday evening, March 22, a coordinated attack occurred at the Crocus City Hall concert venue in northwest Moscow. Several gunmen in tactical gear started a mass shooting of the people. The attackers also threw a grenade or incendiary bombset, setting the venue ablaze. The Russian rock band Picnic was scheduled to play a sold-out when the attack took place.
At the time of the shooting, there could have been about six thousand people in the hall. As the audience was leaving the building, several explosions occurred in the hall. Ria reported that the roof of the venue collapsed. Three helicopters were used to put out the fire. Only after midnight the emergencies ministry said the fire had been contained.
Russia's Investigative Committee has announced that the death toll has risen to at least 115, including three children. More than 145 people are reported injured.
Russian authorities have called the attack at the Crocus City Hall a terrorist act. Some Russian politicians have accused Ukraine of being involved in the attack, which Kyiv denies.
The US presidency called the attack "terrible" and said there were no signs of any link to the conflict in Ukraine. Ukraine's presidency said Kyiv had "nothing to do" with the attack, while its military intelligence called the incident a Russian "provocation" and charged that Moscow special services were behind it.
Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack without providing any evidence.
Intelligence agencies have detained 11 people, including four terrorists, who were directly involved in an attack on the Crocus City Hall, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement.
"It has already been established that the terrorist attack was carefully planned. The weapons that the terrorists used had been placed in a cache in advance," the FSB noted.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has wished all those injured in the terrorist attack a recovery and conveyed compliments to medical staff. He hasn't addressed the nation since the news broke out.
