- By Akanksha Verma
- Sat, 23 Mar 2024 02:17 PM (IST)
- Source:Reuters
Moscow Concert Shooting: The death toll in the terror attack on concertgoers near Moscow rose to 115 on Saturday, according to Russia's Investigative Committee. As many as four key suspects were detained for direct involvement in the shooting.
The attack took place on Friday, March 22, when camouflage-clad gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons at people. The responsibility for the terror attack was claimed by the Islamic State.
The latest death toll was based on preliminary data and the number of victims was expected to rise further, the Russia's Investigative Committee said. Russia' s FSB security service director told President Vladimir Putin that 11 people have been detained, which include four suspects directly involved.
Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, a top ally of President Vladimir Putin, said on Saturday that those responsible for the concert attack near Moscow would be punished, the TASS state news agency reported. Patrushev said the attack showed just what a threat terrorism was to Russia.
A senior Russian lawmaker, Andrei Kartapolov, said that if Ukraine was involved, then Russia must deliver a "worthy, clear and concrete" reply on the battlefield.
Reports said the gunmen had lit the blaze using petrol from canisters they carried in rucksacks. People fled in panic. Baza, a news outlet, citing Russian security and law enforcement, said 28 bodies were found in a toilet and 14 on a staircase. "Many mothers were found embracing their children," it said.
The Kremlin said FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov had reported to President Vladimir Putin that those detained included "four terrorists" and that the service was working to identify their accomplices.
Russian lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein said the attackers had fled in a Renault vehicle that was spotted by police in Bryansk region, about 340 km (210 miles) southwest of Moscow on Friday night and disobeyed instructions to stop.
He said two were arrested after a car chase and two others fled into a forest. From the Kremlin account, it appeared they too were later detained. Khinshtein said a pistol, a magazine for an assault rifle, and passports from Tajikistan were found in the car. Tajikistan is a mainly Muslim Central Asian state that used to be part of the Soviet Union.