Four men charged with terrorism after Moscow concert attack

25 March, 2024

People lay flowers at the makeshift memorials for the victims of the terrorist attack at the "Crocus City Hall"

Four men have been charged with acts of terrorism after an attack at a Moscow concert hall killed at least 137 people and left more than 100 injured.

Three men were marched into a Moscow court bent over while the fourth was in a wheelchair, according to the BBC.

The attack took place on Friday (March 22), when a group of gunmen opened fire at the Crocus City Hall on the outskirts of Moscow, as per reports from Russian state media (via The New York Times).

It occurred ahead of a performance by the Russian rock band Picnic, and also resulted in a major fire across the building.

The Islamic State group said it carried out the attack and posted video evidence, but Russian officials have claimed Ukrainian involvement – a claim Kyiv said is “absurd”, and there is no evidence.

Arrests were made following the attack, and the four men were named by Russian authorities as Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Saidakrami Murodali Rachabalizoda, Shamsidin Fariduni and Muhammadsobir Fayzov.

Footage showed the men – who were identified as citizens of Tajikistan – being marched into the Basmanny district court, and all appear to have been beaten.

A court statement on the Telegram messaging service said Mirzoyev had “admitted his guilt in full”. Rachabalizoda had also reportedly “admitted guilt”.

A view shows the burning Crocus City Hall concert hall following the shooting incident in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, on March 22, 2024. Gunmen opened fire at a concert hall in a Moscow suburb on March 22, 2024 leaving dead and wounded before a major fire spread through the building, Moscow’s mayor and Russian news agencies reported (CREDIT: STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)

The arrests follow a day of mourning for victims on Sunday (March 24). “The whole country, our whole people, mourns with you,” said Putin (via The New York Times).

The Russian president also vowed to “identify and punish” those responsible. “The main thing now is to prevent those who were behind this bloody massacre from committing new crimes,” he said.

In addition to the Picnic concert, a number of children and teenagers were in the building in Krasnogorsk on the Northwestern outskirts of Moscow, preparing for a ballroom dancing competition.

The British foreign secretary, David Cameron, said the UK “condemns the deadly attack in the strongest possible terms”.

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