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At least 115 people were killed and many more wounded in an attack on a Moscow concert hall Friday, Russian officials said, marking one of the deadliest assaults in recent history in Russia and coming just two weeks after U.S. officials warned of a looming terrorist attack on the Russian capital.
The Islamic State quickly claimed responsibility for the attack, shortly after Russian officials announced they were investigating the incident as an act of terrorism.
“According to preliminary data, as a result of the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall building, 40 people were killed and over 100 were injured,” the country’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, said in a statement shortly after the attack, citing an initial death toll that rose sharply in the hours that followed.
U.S. officials confirmed to the Associated Press that ISIS is believed to be responsible for the attack. Early Saturday, Russian officials said they had detained 11 people, four of whom were directly linked to the massacre.
Russian authorities said several gunmen clad in combat fatigues burst into the venue and opened fire. Russian news reports said the assailants threw explosives, triggering a massive fire. Video posted on social media showed huge plumes of black smoke rising over the building, which can accommodate more than 6,000 people and was hosting a concert by the Russian rock group Picnic.
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In a statement posted by its Aamaq news agency, the Islamic State group said it attacked a large gathering in Krasnogorsk on Moscow’s outskirts, killing and wounding hundreds. While it was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the claim, fears have been mounting inside Russia about the possibility of an attack by the Islamic State-Khorasan Province, the Afghanistan-based affiliate group of the Islamic State better known as ISIS-K.
On March 7, the FSB said it foiled a planned ISIS-K attack against a Moscow synagogue. FSB officials said an Islamic State cell had plans to kill worshippers at the synagogue.
“During their arrest, the terrorists put up armed resistance against FSB officers, and as a result, they were neutralized by return fire,” the FSB said in a statement, according to English-language media accounts.
A day later, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow warned that other attacks could be on the horizon.
“The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours,” the U.S. Embassy in Moscow said in a brief statement on its website March 8.
If ISIS-K is indeed responsible for Friday’s assault, it would seemingly confirm recent warnings from American military officials and analysts that the group’s capabilities are expanding rapidly and that it is determined to strike against targets in the Middle East, Europe and elsewhere.
PHOTOS: Kremlin says 40 killed and more than 100 wounded in attack on Moscow concert hall
Friday’s assault came just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin won reelection in a contest that most Western observers considered to be little more than a sham. But Mr. Putin now will come under intense pressure to respond forcefully to whomever was responsible for the attack, even as his troops continue their war in Ukraine.
Social media posts offered details about what transpired at the venue.
Extended rounds of gunfire could be heard on multiple videos posted by Russian media and Telegram channels. One showed two men with rifles moving through the mall. Another one showed a man inside the auditorium, saying the assailants set it on fire, as gunshots rang out incessantly in the background.
More videos showed up to four attackers, armed with assault rifles and wearing caps, who were shooting screaming people at point-blank range.
At the White House, national security spokesman John Kirby said Friday that he couldn’t yet speak about all the details but that “the images are just horrible. And just hard to watch.”
“Our thoughts are going to be with the victims of this terrible, terrible shooting attack,” Mr. Kirby said. “There are some moms and dads and brothers and sisters and sons and daughters who haven’t gotten the news yet. This is going to be a tough day.”
Russia is no stranger to terrorist attacks. The country was shaken by a series of deadly terror attacks in the early 2000s during the fighting with separatists in the Russian province of Chechnya.
• This article is based in part on wire-service reports.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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