Russia: The group known as ISIL (ISIS) has taken responsibility for the heinous attack on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall, which resulted in over 145 injuries and at least 60 fatalities.
As the crowd gathered to witness the seasoned rock band Picnic on Friday night in the western outskirts of the city, at least five gunmen wearing camouflage and armed with automatic weapons broke into the crowded performance hall, firing into the crowd and detonating explosives that caused a large fire.
According to Russian investigations, about sixty individuals had died. Approximately 60 of the 145 injured individuals, according to health officials, were in critical condition.
The extremist organization known as ISIL, which formerly aspired to rule both Syria and Iraq, took credit for the assault on its Telegram channel and stated that the gunmen had fled. The claim could not be independently confirmed.
With a capacity of over 6,200, the music hall is one of the most well-liked in Moscow. Alexei, a music producer, was about to settle into his seat ahead when he said he heard “several machineguns bursts” and “a lot of screams”.
One of the biggest attacks to hit Russia since the 2004 Beslan school siege, which claimed the lives of over 330 people, half of them children, left the performance hall in flames and its roof collapsed. Unverified reports suggested that the death toll would increase.
The raid, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, was a “huge tragedy.” According to Dmitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, the president was receiving regular briefings on the situation.
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