More than 130 people were killed during an Islamic terrorist attack at a concert hall in Russia on Friday night, according to the latest figures released by the Russian government.
Islamic State Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K, claimed credit for the terrorist attack that also wounded more than 140 people who were either shot, burned, or inhaled thick black smoke.
“As the rubble was being removed in the concert hall of the Crocus City Hall, the number of people killed in the terrorist attack has risen to 133,” said the Russian Investigative Committee. “The search operation is underway.”
Disturbing videos that circulated online of the attack showed four heavily armed men storming into Crocus City Hall and opening fire with automatic weapons on the sold-out concert.
The New York Times reported that the terrorists used “explosives and flammable liquids” to set the building on fire. The fire quickly spread the roof, causing portions of it to collapse, and soon engulfed at least a third of the building.
Russian firefighters are currently combing through the rubble of Moscow’s Crocus City Hall theater.
Earlier today, Russian authorities updated the death toll from last night’s terror attack to 133, adding that it would likely continue to rise. pic.twitter.com/Ji3P0QyHru
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 23, 2024
Russian firefighters battled the flames for hours and finally managed to extinguish it on Saturday morning.
The Russian government said that it detained nearly a dozen people in connection with the attack including the four terrorists who carried out the attack.
“The activities of intelligence and law enforcement agencies have resulted in the detention of 11 people, including four terrorists, who directly participated in the terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall,” said Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in a statement.
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“It has already been established that the terrorist attack was carefully planned,” the statement added. “The weapons that the terrorists used had been placed in a cache in advance.”
The attack came two weeks after the U.S. warned Americans in Moscow to avoid large public gatherings — specifically concerts — because terrorists were planning an attack. The New York Times said that the warning was directly related to the attack that unfolded and that U.S. officials specifically reached out and warned the Russians.