IS claims onus for Moscow concert attack; Russia vows ‘death for death’

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IS says ‘gunmen returned to bases safely’

By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi, March 23: Hours after the gunmen left deathly trails following shootout and arson at the Crocus City Hall, a music venue near Moscow, Islamic State (IS) has in a cryptic statement claimed responsibility for the attack. The IS has claimed that its gunmen returned to their bases safely. Local reports said that the death count may go up from the initial estimates of 60 and 150 injured.

Pakistani daily Dawn said in a report that the Islamic State in a statement took the responsibility for the concert attack. The daily quoted the IS, saying: “The attacks left a trail of killing and wounding hundreds and causing great destruction to the place before they withdrew to their bases safely.” Dawn added that the IS did not divulge further details of the attack. The concert attack is being compared with the 2004 Belsan School Siege. The Islamic terrorists had then taken more than 1000 people, including the children, hostage. Russia has previously also seen attacks from Islamic terrorists.

Emil Kastehelmi, a regional security analyst, in a post on the social media platform X, has shared videos of the attacks making rounds on the Russian Telegram channels. He noted: “The video material suggests that there were at least four attackers, some sources say five. They were armed with fully automatic AK-type assault rifles.”

The videos show that the gunmen were not confronted by security personnel. They went on to shoot at anyone at sight. They targetted the concert hall to set arson for maximum damage. Ria Novosti, a Russian state media, said: “The fire was raging at the hall in the aftermath of the terror attack.”

Ironically, the US Embassy in Moscow had warned the citizens to avoid venturing out in the backdrop of intelligence inputs of possible terror attack in the Russian capital. The security analysts are now arguing that Russia ignored the US intelligence. They are claiming that the attack is a revisit to the 2004 Beslan school siege.

A strong crowd had turned up yesterday for the show of the Soviet-era rock group ‘Picnic’. Dawn in its report said: “The gunmen sprayed civilians with bullets just before the rock group was to perform to a full house at the 6,200-seat the Crocus City Hall just west of Moscow.”

Kastehelmi in his thread on X said: “It would be interesting to see what will the official explanation for the attack be, who will they blame, and if they try to tie Ukraine to this”. He quoted Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine, saying: “The attack was a deliberate provocation by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s special services, about which the international community warned”.

Deputy chairman of the security council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev has issued a statement after the concert attack. He said: If it is established that these are terrorists of the Kyiv regime, it is impossible to deal with them and their ideological inspirers differently. All of them must be found and mercilessly destroyed as terrorists. Including officials of the state that committed such atrocity. Death for death.”