The crime of attacking a concert hall in Russia has resulted in four individuals being accused of committing acts of terrorism.
On Sunday, a Moscow court ruled that four individuals charged with committing acts of terrorism would be held in custody before their trial. They are accused of being involved in the bombing at a concert venue in the city, which resulted in the deaths of at least 137 individuals.
The four accused individuals appeared in court at a preliminary hearing in Moscow’s Basmanny District Court. They have been ordered to remain in custody until at least May 22, pending their trial.
The channel for Telegram in the Moscow courts disclosed the names of the accused individuals as Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, Shamsidin Fariduni, and Mukhammadsobir Faizov.
The court confirmed that Mirzoyev and Rachabalizoda both pleaded guilty.
According to reports from Russian media, all four individuals believed to be involved are citizens of Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic, currently residing in Russia.
On Sunday, Russia commemorated a day of mourning, following the attack at a concert hall in suburban Moscow that left over 180 individuals injured.
The deadliest assault on Russian territory since the 2004 siege of Beslan school, where Islamist extremists held over 1,000 individuals – many of them children – as hostages.
According to witnesses, on Friday, four individuals armed with automatic weapons approached the metal detectors at Crocus City Hall, a concert venue with a capacity of 6,200 people. They then proceeded to fire their weapons at close range in short bursts, causing panic and chaos as civilians fell to the ground in the midst of a barrage of bullets.
The attack has been claimed by the terror group, Islamic State.
Suspects in Court for Russia Concert Hall Case.
Three out of four individuals accused of perpetrating the assault on the concert venue in Moscow, which resulted in the deaths of over 130 individuals, have confessed to their involvement in a Russian court.
According to a statement on Telegram by the Islamic State’s affiliate Aamaq news agency, the group claimed responsibility for targeting a large meeting in Krasnogorsk on the outskirts of Moscow, resulting in the death and injury of hundreds. The accuracy of the claim could not be immediately confirmed.
The Islamic State shared a low-quality video that claims to depict gunmen entering what appears to be the Crocus concert hall.
During a broadcasted statement to the country on Saturday, the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, expressed his sincere sympathy to the families of the victims and announced a National Day of Mourning. He also promised to find and penalize all responsible individuals for what he referred to as “a violent and savage act of terrorism.”
In honor of the victims of a shooting attack, individuals placed flowers at a temporary memorial outside the Crocus City Hall concert venue in the Moscow Region, Russia on March 24, 2024.
He stated that 11 individuals, including the four attackers, were taken into custody. The gunmen escaped the concert venue and travelled to the Bryansk region, approximately 340 kilometers southwest of Moscow.
According to initial reports, Putin stated that they attempted to conceal themselves and headed towards Ukraine. It is believed that a passage was arranged for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the national border.
The FSB, also known as Russia’s Federal Security Service, stated that the armed individuals had connections in Ukraine and were apprehended near the border.
During his speech on Saturday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected Putin’s assertion that Ukraine had been involved.
“He stated that Putin and his accomplices are attempting to shift the blame onto others.”
The White House stated on Sunday that Ukraine had no involvement in the mass killing that occurred in a concert hall in Moscow, which resulted in the death of 137 individuals. This statement was made in response to Putin’s insinuation that Kyiv may have been linked to the incident.
A person places flowers at a temporary memorial for those affected by a shooting at the Crocus City Hall concert venue in Saint Petersburg, Moscow Region on March 24, 2024.
The White House National Security Council spokesperson, Adrienne Watson, stated that the Islamic State group, known as ISIS, is solely responsible for the attack. There is no involvement from Ukraine.
American authorities have confirmed that the Islamic State’s Afghan branch, known as IS-Khorasan, was responsible for the attack.
Earlier this month, the White House announced that the U.S. government had provided Russia with intelligence regarding a potential attack in Moscow. On March 7, a public warning was issued to Americans in Russia.
Earlier this week, Putin criticized the U.S. warning, claiming it was an effort to intimidate Russians.
One of the suspects who was arrested claimed in a video released by Russian media and Telegram channels associated with the Kremlin that he was offered payment to carry out the attack.
The suspect, with his hands bound and his hair gripped by an interrogator, can be heard on camera confessing, “I have shot people.” A black boot is pressed against his chin.
A different individual was observed responding to queries with the aid of a Tajik language interpreter.
The Kremlin reported that during a phone conversation on Sunday, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon expressed his disapproval of the attack on a concert hall in Moscow to Putin. Both leaders mentioned that their security agencies were collaborating on counterterrorism efforts.
Tajikistan is currently experiencing activity from the Islamic State group, an organization that is present in neighboring Afghanistan.
The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters were sources of information for this report.
Source: voanews.com
