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Unidentified gunmen storm Crocus City Hall near Moscow, 60 dead

A group of unidentified gunmen armed with assault rifles Friday stormed Crocus City Hall near Moscow killing at least 60 and injuring over 100, local media reported. Read More

Saturday March 23, 2024 12:18 PM, Agencies

Moscow: A group of unidentified gunmen armed with assault rifles Friday stormed Crocus City Hall near Moscow killing at least 60 and injuring over 100, local media reported.

A group of unidentified gunmen armed with assault rifles went on a shooting spree in the lobby and then inside the concert hall just before a concert by the rock band Picnic, TASS news agency reported citing eyewitnesses.

Later an explosion took place in the building and a fire started.

'Act of terrorism'

Russia termed Moscow concert hall shooting an act of terrorism.

“There is only one way to qualify what happened – this was a terrorist act, meaning innocent people were harmed. They were simply executed,” Sergei Goncharov, President of the International Association of Alpha Veterans – an elite Russian anti-terrorism special ops force subordinated to the FSB, told Sputnik.

The terrorists struck at Crocus City Hall, a concert venue located in Krasnogorsk, a settlement on the western outskirts of the Russian capital. It is part of a larger entertainment complex opened in 2009, which also includes a shopping mall and hotel, according to Russia Today.

The concert hall holds up to 7,500 people and was almost packed when the terrorists launched their assault. The popular rock band Picnic was set to perform.

Five gunmen

According to footage circulating online, some five gunmen took part in the shooting. They appeared to be carrying automatic firearms and had other military gear.

They reportedly killed the security guards – who were unarmed – at the main entrance to the venue, and blocked it before continuing their rampage inside.

Latest update put the death toll at 60 which may rise, the Investigative Committee said.

As many as 115 people were hospitalized, including 5 children, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said. More than 30 people have requested ambulatory care.

Situation around the Crocus City Hall: Fire has been extinguished, large number of ambulances parked outside the building, helicopters heard flying nearby. pic.twitter.com/VdTLmIM3lF

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) March 23, 2024

The attack took place as a huge crowd gathered for a concert by Picnic, a famed Russian rock band, in the hall that can accommodate over 6,000 people, The Associated Press reported.

A video showed panicked people screaming and running for cover in the auditorium with gunshots heard in the background.

Musicians not harmed

Musicians of the Picnic band were not harmed during the shooting at the Crocus City Hall music venue, law enforcement agencies told TASS.

"Currently, Picnic performers have been evacuated from the Crocus City Hall complex. There have not been harmed," the source said.

This information was also confirmed by band manager Yuri Chernyshevsky.

"I can confirm that the musicians are unharmed," he said.

Who is behind Crocus City Hall terror attack?

Russia has not officially named any terrorist organization behind the brutal incident. The western media however is circulating the names of ‘terrorist outfits’ active in the Middle East as US and Israeli proxies.

There are also reports of Ukrainian Security Service being responsible for the Moscow terrorist attack, a claim refuted by Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak.

Meanwhile, the White House said that it was not aware of the possible connection between the events in Crocus City Hall and the warning released by the American embassy in Moscow in early March about possible attacks by extremists. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said that the US’ reaction to the terrorist attack raised questions.

The Moscow concert hall attack comes at a time when Russia along with China is standing firmly behind the Palestinians Resistance Groups who are in a war with the Israeli Occupied Forces in Gaza and West Bank.

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