TRANSCRIPT
Russian authorities say an attack on a concert venue just outside of Moscow has led to the death of at least 40 people, leaving more than one hundred injured, including children.
People who had gathered at the Crocus City Hall to attend a concert by popular rock band Picnic were shot at by armed men who entered the venue.
Many fell to the ground to avoid being shot at while others barricaded themselves in the building's basement.
This eyewitness describes the incident.
"I was sitting in the hall upstairs where the balconies were. We heard gunshots. At first, we didn't understand what had happened. Then I personally saw how the terrorists came in, started shooting everyone. In the end, they threw a Molotov - everything was set on fire. We were led to the exit. Turned out, the exit was locked. We ran all over Crocus City, trying to find an exit, but to no avail. We went into the basement of the Crocus City Hall and waited for the Emergency Services and got out."
During the attack, the assailants used explosives, leading to a fire that caused part of the concert hall's roof to collapse.
Emergency services rushed to the scene of the crime and, after rescuing the people who had barricaded themselves in the basement of the building, attempted to put out the fire.
There were concerns that more people may have been trapped by the flames.
The Governor of the Moscow region Andrei Vorobyov says that the extent of the situation will be clarified as soon as possible.
"Indeed, the tragedy happened. Firefighters are working in Crocus, the area of the fire is significant. Everything else will be clear after the firefighters finish their work."
Russian media says the attack was staged by five men who were fully armed with automatic rifles and had their faces covered with masks.
Footage taken from smartphones by eyewitnesses and uploaded to social media verify the reports.
Officials from Russia have condemned the attack and say the national guard have launched an investigation to locate the perpetrators.
A spokeswoman for the Russian Interior Ministry says they are receiving regular updates on all developments.
"The Interior Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation Vladimir Kolokoltsev immediately arrived at the scene of the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall, Vladimir Kolokoltsev receives real-time reports on the situation at the scene.”
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Crocus Concert Hall, saying its members were able to escape following their assault.
It comes shortly after the Russian Presidential Election in which Vladimir Putin ran essentially unopposed, following the death of his main rival Alexei Navalny during his incarceration at an Arctic prison.
Mr Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya commented on the attack via a post on X - formerly Twitter, saying the perpetrators must be brought to justice.
Meanwhile, officials from Ukraine, which has been under invasion by Russia since early 2022, have denied their nation's involvement in the attack.
Mykhailo Podolyak is the advisor to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"Let us be on record: Ukraine absolutely definitely has nothing to do with these events. In reality we are engaged in a full-fledged, full-scale, intensive war with the Russian army and the Russian Federation as a country, and above all, everything will be decided only on the battlefield. It is now important for Ukraine to carry out effective military operations, offensive actions in order to defeat the Russian army. Moreover, Ukraine has never used terrorist methods, terrorism as a method of war, unlike the Russian Federation."
US officials have expressed their condolences towards the victims of the crime.
It comes after the U-S Embassy in Moscow issued a warning towards its citizens on March 7 to avoid all massive gatherings, including concerts, following reports that extremists had been targeting them.
US National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby says the White House is working to gather more information on the attack.
"We're, trying to get more information, but I really would refer to, Russian authorities to speak to it. The images are just horrible, and, just hard to watch. And our thoughts obviously are going to be with the victims of this terrible, terrible shooting attack. And I think, you know, you look at that video, if you have, and you got to recognize that there's some moms and dads and brothers and sisters and sons and daughters that haven't gotten the news yet, and this is going to be a tough day. So our thoughts are with them."
Following the incident, all major events across Russia have been cancelled, with authorities tightening security measures at the airports.
