ISIS Claims Responsibility for Deadly Attack on Crocus City Hall Concert Hall in Russia
The terrorist group ISIS claimed responsibility for the deadly attack last night at Crocus City Hall in Russia.
Last night, Friday, March 22 (3rd of Farvardin), five armed men attacked the 6,000-capacity Crocus hall, opening fire on the crowd before setting the hall ablaze. The fire at the Crocus City Hall concert venue, located northwest of Moscow, left at least 80 dead and more than 140 wounded.
Hours after the attack, the terrorist group ISIS claimed responsibility by issuing a statement through the “Nashir News” channel, the group’s official media outlet. The statement read: “The forces of the Islamic State targeted a large gathering of Christians in the city of Krasnogorsk in the suburbs of Moscow, the capital of Russia, killing and wounding hundreds of people and causing severe damage to the location before safely returning to their base.”
Following the incident, the Russian government canceled all weekend programs and gatherings, and Russian security officials announced that one of the attackers had been apprehended. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s national security council, reacted to the deadly attack, stating: “Terrorists understand no language but revenge. If we do not respond to force with force, no trial or investigation will be useful.” Sergei Sobyanin, Moscow’s mayor, also described the deadly attack as a horrific tragedy.
Despite ISIS claiming responsibility for the attack, some have suggested that the Russian government was behind it to provide a pretext for expanding the war to other areas, though Russians blame Ukraine for the attacks.
John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, in response to the incident, expressed condolences for the deadly attack and told reporters: “There is currently no evidence that Ukraine or Ukrainians were involved in this shooting. We are investigating the matter.”
Mikhaylo Podolyak, advisor to Volodymyr Zelensky, president of Ukraine, while denying involvement in the attacks, stated: “Ukraine has absolutely no connection to the shooting and explosion at Crocus Hall and the killing of Christians. Ukraine has been fighting the Russian army for over two years, and everything in this war is determined solely on the battlefield through the quantity of weapons and quality military decisions. Terrorist attacks solve no problems.”
The presidential advisor further emphasized that Ukraine has never resorted to terrorist methods and that this is meaningless, unlike Russia, which uses terrorist attacks in its ongoing war against Ukraine.
