Moscow terror strike: Gunmen kill over 60 at concert hall, Islamic State claims responsibility

Smoke rises above the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following a reported shooting incident, outside Moscow, Russia, on March 22, 2024. - Reuters

More than 60 people were killed and 145 injured when masked gunmen opened fire at a music concert in Moscow on March 22. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for one of the most devastating assaults on Russia in recent memory.

Several gunmen opened fire on terrified spectators inside Crocus City Hall moments before the Soviet-era rock band "Picnic" was set to play to a packed house in the 6,200-seat auditorium in a suburb west of Moscow.

Confirmed footage showed people filing out of the hall after taking their seats, all while shouts and bullets reverberated. Men were shown in another video shooting at crowds of people. Some victims were lying in bloody puddles, motionless.

More than 60 persons were reported dead by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), which is primarily responsible for replacing the KGB from the Soviet era, according to an Associated Press report. A regional ministry reported 145 injuries. According to the FSB, more security measures were put in place.

Unconfirmed sources suggested that the death toll could grow, making it one of the biggest attacks on Russia since the 2004 Beslan school siege, in which Islamist extremists kidnapped over 1,000 people, including hundreds of children, stated a Reuters report.

Among the dead and injured at the Crocus performance were reportedly children. The Sklifosovsky emergency care institute in Moscow received dozens of ambulances, as per the Reuters report.

The incident, which resulted in a collapsed roof and a burning music hall, was the bloodiest to strike Russia in recent memory and occurred as the nation's conflict with Ukraine entered its third year. Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, described the raid as a "huge tragedy."

According to the militant organisation's Amaq agency on Telegram, the Islamic State, which formerly planned to seize control of large portions of Syria and Iraq, has claimed responsibility for the strike.

Some Russian media released a blurry photo of two of the accused attackers in a white automobile. According to certain Russian media, the shooters were still on the loose.

The attack on Crocus City Hall, about 20 km from the Kremlin, comes just two weeks after the US embassy in Russia warned that "extremists" had imminent plans for an attack in Moscow.

Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian foreign ministry, called it a "bloody terrorist attack" that everyone on the planet should denounce. Many former Soviet countries, along with the US, Europe, and Arab states, expressed astonishment, denounced the act, and conveyed their sympathies.

Mykhailo Podolyak, the presidential advisor for Ukraine, refuted any connection from his country.

In a statement, the UN Security Council denounced the "heinous and cowardly terrorist attack."

Russia increased security throughout the capital, home to more than 21 million people, as well as at airports and transportation centres. Every major public event in the nation was cancelled.

According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin was notified within minutes of the incident and has been monitoring the situation closely.

Helicopters attempted to put out the fire that was consuming the big structure. The venue's roof was giving way, according to state news agency RIA.

Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, stated, "A terrible tragedy occurred in the shopping centre Crocus City today." "I am sorry for the loved ones of the victims."

(With agency inputs)