A shooting occurred at the "Krokus City" concert hall near Moscow, Russia, on the 22nd, with at least four gunmen reported and at least two explosions at the scene. The Russian Foreign Ministry has characterized the incident as a terrorist attack, and the extremist group "Islamic State" has claimed responsibility for the incident. At present, preliminary statistics have at least 70 deaths and more than 155 injuries, including children.
At least 70 dead and 155 injured in a shooting at a concert hall near Moscow
Footage from the scene showed a large audience in the concert hall at the time, reportedly preparing to leave the concert hall under the instructions of security guards, when suddenly someone screamed and gunshots were heard shortly after. Some people then lay on the ground and used chairs as cover. A video also captured someone lying in a pool of blood in the lobby of the concert hall, and a large number of spectators fled the scene in a panic.
The incident occurred in the "Krokus City" concert hall in the suburbs of Moscow, at about 8 o'clock local time on the evening of the 22nd, a few minutes before the concert began, several men in camouflage uniforms entered the concert hall with long guns. A security guard said the gunman had already started shooting outside the concert hall and the glass was shattered. After entering the lobby, the gunman fired random shots at the attendees before walking in the direction of the show.
Local media reported that the gunman had thrown incendiary grenades, and that there had been at least two explosions at the scene, and the fire was very intense. Some roofs collapsed, and the total area of the fire reached 12,900 square meters, the size of two standard football fields. In addition to a number of fire engines shooting water at the concert hall, helicopters were also dispatched and 70 ambulances were dispatched to the scene.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the incident was a terrorist attack. The Kremlin said that President Vladimir Putin had been briefed and had given all the necessary instructions on the incident. In addition, the authorities have strengthened security measures at Moscow airports and railway stations. The mayor of Moscow announced the cancellation of all large public events over the weekend.
The U.S. Embassy in Russia warned two weeks ago that Moscow might be attacked
Ukrainian presidential adviser Podolyak made it clear shortly after the shooting that Ukraine had nothing to do with the incident, saying that Ukraine was waging a full-scale war with Russia and that everything was decided on the battlefield.
The German Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it was shocked by the attack on innocent people and extended its deepest condolences to the families of the victims. France said it was saddened by the clips circulating online.
The U.S. Embassy in Russia expressed shock at the incident and expressed its condolences to the Russian people. The U.S. Embassy in Russia was also found to have warned U.S. citizens in Russia two weeks ago that extremists could launch attacks against large-scale events in Moscow, asking them to refrain from attending large gatherings for the next 48 hours.
Phoenix Watch: The US side made a prediction half a month ago, who is behind it?
Just after the end of the Russian presidential election, a vicious attack occurred in a concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow, and the extremist organization "Islamic State" spoke out for the incident. In addition, it has been reported that the US Embassy in Russia made a prediction about this half a month ago, who is behind it? Please see the comments and analysis of current affairs commentator Song Zhongping——
It is too early to say who is the real culprit behind this incident. Although the extremist group Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the incident, it is also open to debate.
The extremist organization "Islamic State" is indeed at odds with Russia, and it is not surprising that it will retaliate against Russia in various ways, but the key is who is behind it? In fact, the United States has now begun to use al-Qaeda and other organizations to target Russia. On March 7, the United States and Britain both issued warnings of a terrorist attack in Moscow, suggesting that they had already received relevant information.
However, after the attack, the United States immediately said that the incident had nothing to do with Ukraine, and the Ukrainian side also said that it had nothing to do with it, because the United States was more worried that if the attack was determined to be related to Ukraine, then the nature of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict would change significantly, and it would no longer be a "special military operation", it would become a "war on terror" similar to that after "911", that is, the entire operation would be further escalated. This is what the United States does not want.
In addition, it is worth noting that the attack took place in the city of Krasnogorsk, a suburb of Moscow, and is not in the center of Moscow. In fact, the security of the entire city of Moscow is very strict, and now that the Russian presidential election has ended, the security in some places may be weakened, especially in some cities or small counties in the Moscow region, where the security is often weak.
The attack is not an isolated incident, and the purpose of the mastermind behind it may be to create social unrest and chaos in Russia, so as to influence Putin's ruling position and make ordinary Russians oppose Putin's government.
Source: Phoenix Satellite TV Information Channel
Editor: Qiu Guo