At least 40 people were killed and more than 100 were injured during a mass shooting at a concert venue outside Moscow on Friday, The New York Times References.
The attack took place at Crocus City Hall, a huge complex in Krasnogorsk that includes a concert venue, shopping center, convention center, hotels and restaurants. The shooting reportedly took place as fans waited for a show by long-running Russian rock band Picnic to begin.
Videos posted on social media showed gunmen entering Crocus City Hall and opening fire on the crowd as they waited for the show to begin. A reporter for local news agency RIA Novosit said: “At least three people in camouflage broke into the ground floor of Crocus City Hall and opened fire with automatic weapons. There are definitely injured.”
In addition to the shooting, an explosion was reported in Crocus City around 21:32 local time. This led to a fire, which reportedly consumed more than a third of the complex. Helicopters were sent to help rescue people on the roof of the building, while another section of the roof, above the stage, was reportedly collapsing.
It is not yet known who carried out the attack, nor exactly how many people were involved. state media agencies said up to five were involved. Russia's FBI equivalent, the Investigative Committee, wrote about it Telegram that he had “opened a criminal case regarding a terrorist attack in the Moscow region… An investigative team from the central office of the Russian Investigative Committee went to the scene” (via Google Translate).
As of press time, Russian President Vladimir Putin had yet to make an official statement about the attack, although a Kremlin spokesman said he was informed of the incident minutes after it began. Moscow Mayor Sergei S. Sobyanin wrote on Telegram, “Today a terrible tragedy occurred at Crocus City Mall. My condolences to the families of the victims.”
The attack mainly comes several weeks after the US embassy in Moscow aired an attack on March 7 security alert warning that “extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow” and advised US citizens to “avoid large gatherings in the next 48 hours.” There were no incidents during that time frame, and on March 19, Putin called the alert “obviously blackmail” to “intimidate and destabilize our society.”
The attack also takes place against the backdrop of Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, and already US and Russian officials appear to be at odds over any theoretical or possible connection. John Kirby, the White House national security press secretary, told reporters that “there is no indication at this time that Ukraine or Ukrainians were involved in the shooting.” Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine's presidential office, issued a video statement saying the country had “absolutely nothing to do” with the attack.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: “On what basis do officials in Washington draw conclusions in the midst of a tragedy about someone's innocence?” Add (if Reuters) that if Washington had information about the attack, it should share it.
This story is evolving…
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/russia-concert-venue-attack-1234993141/