Russia terrorist attack death toll rises to 93
The number of people killed in a shooting attack on a concert hall near the Russian capital Moscow has risen to 93, investigators have announced, while health officials said 150 others had been wounded, including several children.
Russia’s Investigative Committee announced the death toll on Saturday, and warned that the number of fatalities may go higher as investigators continue to recover the bodies.
Unidentified gunmen stormed the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorskon on Friday night, opening fire at people there. The building was set on fire during the attack. The fate of the terrorists remains unclear.
Russian media, referring to videos posted on social media, said that at least five gunmen were involved in the attack. They killed security guards before proceeding to indiscriminately fire at people in the lobby of the hall.
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the incident as a bloody terrorist attack.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin canceled all large-scale events in the Russian capital for the weekend after the shooting at the Crocus City Hall.
The Kremlin meanwhile said that President Vladimir Putin was being updated by security chiefs about the situation.
Reacting furiously to the deadly shooting, former president and the current deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev called for “mercilessly destroying terrorists”.
“Terrorists understand only terror in response. No trials or investigations will help if force is not countered with force, and deaths with executions of terrorists and a crackdown on their families,” Medvedev wrote in a Telegram post, according to RT.
He also said that “these terrorists must be mercilessly destroyed” and Russia will not act indifferently if they “turn out to be the Kiev regime”.
Ukraine however has denied any involvement in the Moscow attack.
“Ukraine certainly has nothing to do with the shooting/explosions in the Crocus City Hall (Moscow Region, Russia). It makes no sense whatsoever. Ukraine has been fighting with the Russian army for more than two years. And everything in this war will be decided only on the battlefield…Terrorist attacks do not solve any problems”, Mykhailo Podolyak, Adviser to the Head of the Ukrainian president’s office said on X.
The Daesh terrorist group issued a statement on its official media outlet on Friday night, claiming responsibility for the attack in Moscow.