Moscow concert hall attack kills 40, major fire spreads through venue

Forty people were killed in a shooting at the Crocus City Hall concert center near Moscow on Friday, state news agency TASS reported, citing information from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).

More than 100 people had been injured in the same incident, TASS reported.

Gunmen opened fire at a rock concert in a Moscow suburb before a major fire spread through the theatre, Moscow’s mayor and Russian news agencies earlier reported.

Attackers dressed in camouflaged outfits entered the building, opened fire and threw a grenade or incendiary bomb, according to a journalist for the RIA Novosti news agency who was at the scene.

Russia’s foreign ministry called the incident a “terrorist attack” that had to be condemned.

Fire quickly spread through the Crocus City Hall, north of the Russian capital, where the theatre can hold several thousand people and has staged several concerts by top international artists, according to the reports.

Automatic gunfire was used on the audience, the RIA Novosti journalist reported.

“People who were in the hall were led on the ground to protect themselves from the shooting for 15 or 20 minutes,” the journalist was quoted as saying.

People started crawling out when it was safe, the journalist reported, adding that security forces were at the scene.

About 100 people escaped through the theatre basement while others were sheltering on the roof, the emergency services ministry said on its Telegram channel.

Telegram news channels Baza and Mash, which are close to security forces, showed video images of flames and black smoke pouring from the concert hall.

Other images showed two men walking through the hall with at least one person left on the ground near the entrance. Spectators were also seen hiding behind seats or trying to escape.

Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said it had been a “terrorist attack.”

“The whole international community must condemn this odious crime,” she said on Telegram.

The US presidency called the attack “terrible” but said there was no immediate indication of any link to the war in Ukraine.

“I offer my condolences to the families of the dead,” said Moscow’s mayor as a major security operation was launched around the theatre and nearby shopping mall.

Sobyanin said he had cancelled all public events in Moscow for the weekend.

TASS news agency said that SOBR and special police forces and the OMON anti-riot squad had been sent to the Crocus hall.

It added that all the members of the rock band had been evacuated safely.

Orthodox church leader Patriarch Kirill was “praying for peace for the souls of the dead,” said his spokesman Vladimir Legoyda.
Russia urges US to share information

Russia said on Friday that if the United States knew for sure that Ukraine was not involved in a mass shooting incident at a concert hall near Moscow Washington should share any information it had.

White House spokesperson John Kirby said earlier on Friday that there was “no indication at this time that Ukraine, Ukrainians were involved.”

“The White House said it sees no signs that Ukraine or Ukrainians are involved in the terrorist attack in Moscow,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

“On what basis do officials in Washington draw any conclusions in the midst of a tragedy about someone’s innocence?”

She said that if Washington had information, it should be shared and that if Washington had no information, it should not be talking in such a way.