Russian intelligence agencies have apprehended 11 individuals, including four described as ‘terrorists’, reportedly linked to a terrorist assault at Crocus City Hall, as per TASS citing Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) statement on Saturday.
The statement affirmed, “The concerted efforts of intelligence and law enforcement authorities have led to the capture of 11 individuals, including four terrorists directly involved in the terrorist incident at Crocus City Hall.”
Ongoing efforts are aimed at identifying the accomplices of the terrorists and understanding the full scope of the attack, TASS reported.
According to Russian state media, Alexander Bortnikov, the head of the Russian Security Service (FSB), briefed Russian President Vladimir Putin about the detention of eleven individuals in connection with the assault on the Crocus complex near Moscow on Friday.
The Kremlin confirmed that those detained encompassed “all four terrorists directly involved in the terrorist attack in Crocus,” according to reports from TASS and other state media.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has vehemently denounced the terrorist incident at Crocus City Hall and extended condolences to the people and government of the Russian Federation, as conveyed by a statement from Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Farhan Haq.
“The Secretary-General unequivocally condemns today’s terrorist attack at a concert hall outside Moscow, where at least 40 individuals were reportedly killed and over 100 others injured. He extends his heartfelt condolences to the grieving families and the people and Government of the Russian Federation,” the statement expressed.
The Secretary-General also expressed wishes for a swift recovery for those injured.
The terrorist assault took place at the Crocus City Hall music venue in Krasnogorsk, near Moscow, on Friday evening local time.
Armed assailants, unidentified thus far, unleashed gunfire with assault rifles and ignited an explosion within the building, triggering a fire. Security services are actively engaged in search operations. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin has canceled all mass gatherings in the capital for the next two days, with several other regions in Russia following suit, as reported by TASS.
Conversely, the death toll from the Crocus City complex attack has risen to 93, according to CNN citing the Russian Investigative Committee.
“The number of casualties is expected to increase. Initial findings suggest that fatalities were due to gunshot wounds and exposure to combustion byproducts,” the committee disclosed on Saturday.
“The preliminary inspection of the concert hall premises indicates that the attackers utilized automatic firearms during the assault, which, along with the recovered ammunition, is being examined through ballistic, genetic, and fingerprint analyses,” the committee added.
“It has also been determined that the terrorists used a combustible substance to ignite the concert hall premises.”
Earlier statements from the governor of the Moscow region, Andrey Vorobyov, noted that 115 injured individuals, including five children, remain hospitalized in Moscow and Moscow Oblast.
Investigations at the concert hall are ongoing, with emergency services clearing debris, analyzing CCTV footage, and providing assistance to victims.