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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Armed attackers stormed a concert hall near Moscow on Friday, Russian state media reported.</li><li>At least 137 people were killed and more than 100 were injured, according to the news agency.</li></ul>At least 137 people were killed and more than 145 were injured on Friday in an attack after a group of armed individuals opened fire at the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-dismissed-us-warnings-days-before-moscow-concert-hall-attack-2024-3">Crocus City Hall</a> music venue near Moscow, Russian state media agency TASS reported, citing the Russian Investigative Committee.The number of reported casualties would make this one of the deadliest attacks near Russia's capital in recent years.Here's what we know so far:<h2>What happened?</h2>A group of masked individuals opened fire at the Crocus City Hall, a music venue located on the western edge of Moscow, on Friday evening.Four people suspected to be directly tied to the attack were arrested on Saturday, <a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-moscow-krasnogorsk-gunmen-concert-hall-fire-97e321c3c477ece36d4fb32f50fa0e8a">The Associated Press</a> reported. Their identities were later revealed to be Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, 32; Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, 30; Mukhammadsobir Faizov, 19; and Shamsidin Fariduni, 25.In his first remarks addressing the massacre, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday afternoon that Kremlin authorities detained a total of 11 people suspected to be tied to the attacks.On Sunday, three of the four suspects who were charged with carrying out the attacks pleaded guilty in a Russian court, according to The AP. Mirzoyev, Rachabalizoda, and Fariduni pleaded guilty, according to the report.TASS reported that Picnic, a Russian rock band, was scheduled to perform at the venue on Friday. According to the venue's website, the concert hall can accommodate about 6,200 people.More than 133 people were killed, and about 145 were injured, The Associated Press reported. Some of the injured included children, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko told a local news channel, according to TASS.An explosion soon rocked the building, TASS reported, starting a fire. The Ministry of Emergency Situations told the Russian news agency that a third of Crocus City Hall was engulfed.<h2>Who is claiming responsibility?</h2>Shortly after the assault, the Islamic State Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K, a branch of the terrorist group in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement shared with the ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq on Telegram, CNN reported.According to The New York Times, US officials confirmed the group was responsible.Despite the confirmation from US officials, Putin made no mention of ISIS-K and instead pointed to Ukraine. He claimed in his Saturday address that Kyiv authorities were trying to help the four assailants escape."They tried to hide and moved towards Ukraine, where according to preliminary data, a window was prepared for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the state border," Putin said, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2024/03/23/1240472960/moscow-concert-hall-attack-deaths-putin">NPR</a>.Ukrainian and US officials later denied any suggestion of Ukrainian involvement."ISIS bears sole responsibility for this attack. There was no Ukrainian involvement whatsoever," Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, said in a statement on Saturday, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/moscow-concert-attack-live-updates-rcna144768/rcrd37616?canonicalCard=true">NBC News</a>.Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, also denied the Kremlin's accusations and said on <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/Podolyak_M/status/1771258890170057119?s=20">X</a> that "Ukraine certainly has nothing to do with the shooting/explosions in the Crocus City Hall.""It makes no sense whatsoever," he wrote, adding that the Moscow attacks will "contribute to a sharp increase in military propaganda, accelerated militarization, expanded mobilization, and, ultimately, the scaling up of the war."<h2>What is ISIS-K?</h2><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/isis-is-revolutionizing-international-terrorism-2015-5">ISIS-K</a>, an affiliate of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-isis-k-islamic-states-afghanistan-affiliate-taliban-enemy-2021-8">Islamic State</a>, was formed in 2015 and was mostly made up of estranged Pakistani militants, according to the Center for Strategic &amp; International Studies (CSIS), a Washington, DC-based think tank.The branch is considered to be one of the Taliban's sworn enemies, mainly due to sectarian differences, BI previously reported.By 2018, the branch was responsible for nearly 100 attacks against civilians in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/isis-could-strike-western-interests-from-afghanistan-six-months-general-2023-3">Afghanistan</a> and Pakistan, according to CSIS. But the group was thrust into the international spotlight in August 2021 after it carried out a suicide bombing at the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/there-was-an-explosion-outside-kabul-airport-pentagon-2021-8">Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul</a> that killed <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/live-updates-afghanistan-kabul-airport-blast-evacuation-2021-8">13 US military soldiers and 169 civilians</a>.ISIS-K is considered "one of the more successful branches" of the Islamic State, Daniel Byman, a counterterrorism and Middle East expert at CSIS, told Business Insider.<h2>Why would ISIS-K target Russia?</h2>ISIS-K's adversarial relationship with Russia could stem from several major historical conflicts that reflected the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-resist-or-cooperate-crimean-tatars-split-over-russian-rule-2014-15">country's brutal treatment of Muslims</a>."If you want, you can go back to the Russian conquest of the Caucasus," Byman said. "And then you could go to the Soviet deportations of Muslim populations" in the 1940s.Byman told BI he often points to the intermittent wars in Chechnya, a small Muslim republic, in the 1990s and 2000s, during which <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/comic-sons-of-chechnya-ramzan-kadyrov-rise-to-power-2023-12">Chechnya</a> struggled for independence.Michael Kugelman, a director at the Washington-based Wilson Center think tank told Reuters that ISIS-K "sees Russia as being complicit in activities that regularly oppress Muslims."<h2>Why did the attack happen now?</h2>Byman said the rationale behind the timing of Friday's attack is not yet clear, but it often has to do with "operational" reasons rather than symbolic or political purposes.If ISIS-K is confirmed to have carried out the attack, the group may have done so on Friday simply because they were ready, Byman said.On March 7, the US embassy in Russia warned Moscow that there were reports of "extremists" with plans to "target large gatherings" near Russia's capital.The warning was partly based on intelligence that indicated an ISIS-K presence in Russia, two US officials told The Washington Post.Three days before the attack, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-dismissed-us-warnings-days-before-moscow-concert-hall-attack-2024-3">Putin dismissed the warnings,</a> calling them "provocative."Colin P. Clarke, an expert on domestic and transnational terrorism for The Soufan Group, a global security consulting firm, told The New York Times that "ISIS-K has been fixated on Russia for the past two years," adding that the group "accuses the Kremlin of having Muslim blood in its hands."Spokespersons for the Kremlin and the US embassy in Russia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

What we know about the Moscow concert hall attack &mdash; and why ISIS-K is claiming responsibility

<ul class="summary-list"><li>133 people are reported to have died in a terrorist attack on Moscow's Crocus City Hall on Friday.</li><li>ISIS-K, based in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.</li></ul>The death toll from the attack on Moscow's Crocus City Hall Friday night has risen to 133 as Russia's Federal Security Bureau confirmed eleven suspects had been arrested in connection with the attack.<a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/sledcom_press/12292">According to Russia's Investigative Committee: </a>"The death toll will rise further. According to preliminary data, the causes of death were gunshot wounds and poisoning by combustion products."The death toll stands at 133, the<a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/sledcom_press/12298"> Investigative Committee </a>said on Saturday.Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, though neither the Kremlin nor Russian security services have yet assigned blame officially.TASS reported that Picnic, a Russian rock band, was scheduled to perform just before the attack. The concert hall can accommodate about 6,200 people, according to The Associated Press."Preliminary results of the inspection of the premises of the concert hall indicate that the terrorists used automatic weapons during the attack, which, along with the ammunition they left behind, were discovered and seized by (investigators)," the committee said Saturday. "Based on this material evidence, ballistic, genetic and fingerprint examinations are currently being carried out," it added. <div type="image" title="Emergency services vehicles are seen outside the burning Crocus City Hall concert hall following the shooting incident in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow on March 22, 2024." height="3282" width="4923" msid="108732063" hostid="261"></div>"It was also established that the terrorists used a flammable liquid to set fire to the premises of the concert hall."One hundred fifteen people have been injured, including five children, <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/vorobiev_live/6171">Andrey Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region, said</a>.The <a target="_blank" href="https://mz.mosreg.ru/download/document/16141517">Ministry of Health in the Moscow region has since published</a> the identities of 41 of those known to have been killed in the attack. The youngest victim identified so far is a 33-year-old, and the oldest is 71.<div type="image" title="Moscow attack" height="2004" width="3007" msid="108732065" hostid="261"></div>Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to make a public statement on the attacks. However, his spokesperson, <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.interfax.ru/russia/951966">Dmitrii Peskov, told reporters that</a> "the president constantly receives information through all relevant services about what is happening and about the measures being taken. The president is giving all necessary instructions."<h2>Arrests</h2>Russia's FSB confirmed that 11 people had been arrested in connection with the attack on the concert hall.In a statement reported by Russian media, the FSB said: "As a result of the actions of the special services and law enforcement agencies, 11 people were detained, including 4 terrorists who were directly involved in the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall.""After the terrorist attack, the criminals intended to cross the border of the Russian Federation and Ukraine and had relevant contacts on the Ukrainian side, the FSB said," <a target="_blank" href="https://ria.ru/20240323/terakt-1935236432.html">the FSB report reads, according to state media RIA Novosti</a>.<a target="_blank" href="https://tass.ru/proisshestviya/20330485">State-owned Russian news agency TASS</a> also reported that the assailants had "contacts on the Ukrainian side."Neither agency specified the nature of the alleged contacts.<div type="image" title="Moscow attack" height="3652" width="5478" msid="108732066" hostid="261"></div>On Friday, Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said that Kyiv had "nothing to do with the attack.""Ukraine has never resorted to the use of terrorist methods," <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Podolyak_M/status/1771258890170057119">he wrote on X.</a><h2>Why ISIS-K is claiming responsibility</h2>Shortly after the assault, the Islamic State Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K, a branch of the jihadist group in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement shared with the ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq on Telegram, CNN reported.According to The New York Times, US officials confirmed the group was responsible.<a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-moscow-krasnogorsk-gunmen-concert-hall-fire-97e321c3c477ece36d4fb32f50fa0e8a">An unnamed US intelligence officer told The Associated Press</a> that US intelligence agencies had confirmed that IS was responsible for the attack.The official told AP that US intelligence agencies had collected information in recent weeks that IS was planning an attack in Moscow. The officer claimed US officials had privately shared the intelligence earlier this month with Russian counterparts.ISIS-K is considered "one of the more successful branches" of the Islamic State, Daniel Byman, a counterterrorism and Middle East expert at CSIS, told Business Insider.It was responsible for the suicide bombing at the <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/there-was-an-explosion-outside-kabul-airport-pentagon-2021-8">Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul</a> that killed 13 US military soldiers and 169 civilians in 2021.ISIS-K's targeting of Russia could stem from several major historical conflicts that reflected the <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-resist-or-cooperate-crimean-tatars-split-over-russian-rule-2014-15">country's brutal treatment of Muslims</a>. It is believed to have Russian-speaking Central Asians in its ranks."If you want, you can go back to the Russian conquest of the Caucasus," Byman said. "And then you could go to the Soviet deportations of Muslim populations" in the 1940s.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-dismissed-us-warnings-days-before-moscow-concert-hall-attack-2024-3">In a speech Tuesday, though, Putin had slammed</a> the American warnings as "provocative," saying "these actions resemble outright blackmail and the intention to intimidate and destabilize our society."On Friday, <a target="_blank" href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147896">the UN Security Council condemned</a> "the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack" and highlighted the need for those responsible to be held accountable. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the terrorist attack "in the strongest possible terms," his spokesman said.

Death toll from Moscow concert hall attack rises to 133. The FSB confirmed 11 suspects have been arrested.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Shooters attacked a Moscow concert hall on Friday, killing at least 60 and injuring more than 100.</li><li>Earlier this month, the US embassy issued a security alert warning of a potential terror attack.</li></ul>Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed US warnings about a potential terror incident in Moscow just days before shooters attacked a concert hall in the city on Friday.At least 60 people are dead and more than 100 are injured after multiple armed individuals stormed the Crocus City Hall in Moscow, an investigative committee <a target="_blank" href="https://tass.com/emergencies/1764525">reported</a>. The state-run news agency TASS <a target="_blank" href="https://tass.com/emergencies/1764265">reported</a> 40 deaths earlier in the day, citing Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB, which called the incident a "terrorist attack."Graphic videos posted to social media purport to show the attack unfolding. In some of the footage, gunshots and concertgoers' screams can be heard.According to <a target="_blank" href="https://tass.com/emergencies/1764319">Russian state media</a>, the unidentified attackers were armed with assault rifles and opened fire in the lobby of the building before moving into the main concern hall, where a band was scheduled to perform. It added that an explosion inside the venue sparked the fire, which engulfed at least a third of the building and spread to the roof.<div type="image" title="Russian Rosguardia national guard servicemen secure an area near the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow on March 22, 2024." height="4000" width="6000" msid="108718177" hostid="261"></div>Earlier this month, the US embassy in Russia issued a <a target="_blank" href="https://ru.usembassy.gov/security-alert-avoid-large-gatherings-over-the-next-48-hours/">security alert</a> warning that "extremists have imminent plans" for a terror attack in Moscow and urged people to avoid crowds, monitor local media for updates, and be aware of their surroundings."The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours," the March 7 security alert said.Putin addressed the warnings a couple of weeks later, criticizing the warning as "provocative."<a target="_blank" href="https://tass.ru/politika/20283597">TASS</a> reported that Putin said on March 19 the aim of "the recent provocative statements of a number of official Western structures about the possibility of terrorist attacks in Russia" was harming Russian society.<div type="image" title="A man speaks to journalists as a massive blaze seen over the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow on March 22, 2024." height="4000" width="6000" msid="108718179" hostid="261"></div>"All this resembles outright blackmail and the intention to intimidate and destabilize our society," Putin said, state media covering his remarks reported.The US embassy issued <a target="_blank" href="https://ru.usembassy.gov/message-for-u-s-citizens-terrorist-incident-at-crocus-city-hall/">another alert</a> on Friday saying it was "aware" of the attack and urged Americans to avoid the area."We strongly condemn the horrendous attack carried out at a concert hall in Moscow," Russia's foreign ministry said in an official statement. "We express our deepest sympathies with the families of the victims."Shortly after Friday's attack, ISIS claimed responsibility, according to a post on Telegram from a news agency affiliated with the terrorist group. US officials later <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/22/world/europe/isis-moscow-attack-concert-hall.html">confirmed</a> that a branch of ISIS, Islamic State-Khorasan, or ISIS-K, was responsible and had been planning an attack.The group has been known to operate in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran and was suspected to be active inside Russia, two US officials <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/22/explosion-gunfire-hit-popular-moscow-concert-venue/">told</a> The Washington Post, which reported that the embassy alert was based, at least in part, on intelligence about ISIS-K activity in Russia.A White House official shared more information Friday evening in a statement <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/us-has-intelligence-confirming-islamic-state-responsibility-russia-attack-2024-03-22/">reported</a> by multiple outlets."Earlier this month, the US government had information about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow — potentially targeting large gatherings, to include concerts — which prompted the State Department to issue a public advisory to Americans in Russia," Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said."The U.S. government also shared this information with Russian authorities in accordance with its longstanding 'duty to warn' policy," Watson said, referring to the US policy in the intelligence community to notify potential victims, regardless of whether they are US citizens, of certain credible impending threats.

Putin dismissed US warnings about a potential terror incident as 'blackmail' just 3 days before concert hall attack

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Belarus' leader claims his and Russia's security stopped shooting suspects from entering Belarus.</li><li>Lukashenko said the suspects "took a turn" from attempting to enter Belarus.</li></ul>Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said his country's security, with the help of Russia's Federal Security Service, tried to prevent Crocus City Hall shooting suspects from entering Belarus."There was no chance they could enter Belarus," Lukashenko said, <a target="_blank" href="https://eng.belta.by/president/view/lukashenko-sheds-light-on-belarus-role-in-detaining-crocus-city-hall-terrorists-157028-2024/">according to</a> the state-run Belarusian Telegraph Agency. "So they took a turn and headed to the Ukraine-Russia border."Lukashenko said his officials were in touch with the FSB director and closed a road into Belarus that the fleeing suspects could try to use. Lukashenko's statements on the concert-hall terror suspects fleeing toward Belarus undermine the Kremlin's claims that the suspects tried to escape to Ukraine first, in an attempt to link Ukraine to the attack."Of course, it is necessary to answer the question, why, after committing the crime, the terrorists tried to go to Ukraine? Who was waiting for them there?" Putin <a target="_blank" href="https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240325-putin-says-radical-islamists-behind-moscow-concert-hall-attack-russia">said Monday</a>.While ISIS-K, an affiliate of the Islamic State group, has since claimed <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moscow-concert-hall-attack-russia-crocus-city-hall-2024-3">responsibility</a> for the attack Friday on the Moscow concert hall, Russia's president did not acknowledge the terrorist group's involvement in the shooting until <a target="_blank" href="https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240325-putin-says-radical-islamists-behind-moscow-concert-hall-attack-russia">Monday</a>.Putin still suggests that members of ISIS-K are linked to Ukraine and that Ukraine provided entry for them; however, the suspects were apprehended in Russia — <a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-shooting-putin-ukraine-concert-hall-a8471a0aca2985292faea52994aa4f6b">dozens of miles</a> away from the Russia-Ukraine border.No credible evidence has emerged to suggest that Ukraine was involved in the attack that killed at least 139 people.Lukashenko said that over the course of the attack, he had been in contact with Russia's FSB, adding that he and Putin "kept in touch all the time." Lukashenko is often considered an autocrat and violently crushed pro-democracy protests in 2020 with the Kremlin's backing.Russian <a target="_blank" href="https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-25-2024">military bloggers</a> have also made baseless claims surrounding the Crocus City Hall attack, saying that ISIS-K could not execute such a deadly shooting and that the group was covering up Ukrainian and Western involvement, according to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.When the US said ISIS-K was responsible for the shooting, Maria Zakharova, a Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, accused the US of providing excuses for Ukraine."The Kremlin has likely decided that the informational value of blaming Ukraine for the Crocus attack is worth whatever internal security risks and civilian casualties Russia may suffer for failing to adequately address a radical Salafi-Jihadi threat within its borders," ISW experts said.

Belarus' leader undermined the Kremlin's dubious claims that Ukraine backed ISIS attackers

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russia was too busy trying to conquer Ukraine to notice ISIS-K gunmen slip into Moscow, said Zelenskyy.</li><li>Ukraine's president said Russians now killing on Ukrainian land could have stopped the terrorists.</li></ul>The war in Ukraine distracted the Kremlin from ISIS-K's terror threat to Russia, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/mi-mayemo-vsim-svitom-zahishatis-vid-tih-hto-vvazhaye-lyudej-89829">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy</a> said in his Saturday night address."Everything is absolutely predictable. Those hundreds of thousands of Russians who are now killing on Ukrainian land would surely be enough to stop any terrorists," he said.The rampage at Crocus City Hall on March 22 killed at least 133 people. The four gunmen implicated have been detained, say Russian authorities.Zelenskyy added, "If the Russians are ready to silently die in 'Crocus Halls' and not ask any questions to their security and intelligence agencies, then Putin will try to turn such a situation to his personal advantage again."The US had warned the Kremlin several weeks beforehand that an attack on Russia was likely. The warning was partly based on intelligence that indicated an ISIS-K presence in Russia, two US officials told The Washington Post, but <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-dismissed-us-warnings-days-before-moscow-concert-hall-attack-2024-3">Putin dismissed the warnings,</a> calling them "provocative."ISIS-K, a branch of the Islamic State based in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the attack, but <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-claims-gunmen-who-killed-russians-had-links-ukraine-2024">Putin has been focusing his attention on Ukraine</a>.He claimed the perpetrators "tried to escape and were moving toward Ukraine, where, according to preliminary information, a window was prepared for them from the Ukrainian side to cross the state border."Kyiv rebuked the claims that the gunmen had links to Ukraine.<h2>Moscow was a 'convenience' target for ISIS-K</h2><div type="image" title="Moscow" height="3533" width="5300" msid="108755158" hostid="261" sizebytes="350254"></div>Security analysts say Russia's security agencies dropped the ball when it came to ISIS-K because all their energy is focused on Ukraine.Vera Mironova, an associate fellow at the Davis Center at Harvard University who studies Islamist terrorist movements in the former Soviet Union, told The Financial Times that <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://archive.ph/9tw2s#selection-2309.0-2309.244">Isis-K hit Moscow because the risk of capture was less.</a>"It's about the convenience of the target," she said.Indeed, the militants had been planning to hit high-profile targets in Europe and develop their nihilistic presence beyond southwest Asia in December but were thwarted by Western security services.Before Christmas, Germany was tipped off by a foreign intelligence agency of a potential <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-and-europe-prepare-for-possible-terrorist-threats-nye-2023">plot to attack cathedrals in Cologne or Vienna </a>by an ISIS-affiliate group, The Times reported.On Saturday, <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/03/23/why-did-isis-k-attack-a-moscow-theatre/">Islamic State's official news agency, Amaq,</a> bragged that the ISIS-K had killed a "large crowd of Christians," per The Telegraph.But the Kremlin chose to ignore the threat from Islamic extremists.Colin P. Clarke, an expert on domestic and transnational terrorism for The Soufan Group, a global security consulting firm, told The New York Times that "ISIS-K has been fixated on Russia for the past two years," adding that the group "accuses the Kremlin of having Muslim blood in its hands."

Russia was too distracted trying to conquer Ukraine to notice ISIS-K gunmen slip into Moscow to massacre concertgoers, says Zelenskyy

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russian President Vladimir Putin linked Moscow concert hall attackers to Ukraine.</li><li>At least 133 people were killed by gunmen, and 11 have suspects been detained, say Russian sources.</li></ul>Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed the gunmen who attacked a Moscow concert hall and killed 133 people had links to Ukraine, an allegation Kyiv completely rejected."They tried to escape and were moving toward Ukraine, where, according to preliminary information, a window was prepared for them from the Ukrainian side to cross the state border," Putin said.Putin alleged the connection when he <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/tass_agency/239243">broke his silence on the attack</a> 20 hours after at least four gunmen infiltrated Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, on the outskirts of the Russian capital.Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) had earlier claimed a link between Ukraine and the gunmen in a statement, said <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/tass_agency/239141">Russian news agency TASS</a>. "The terrorists planned to cross the border and had contacts on the Ukrainian side," the message read.<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/MegaGeopolitics/status/1771273339425665092">Pro-Putin supporters on social media</a> platformed the baseless theory in the immediate aftermath of the attack.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kyivpost.com/post/29984">Kyiv denied any involvement</a> and called the FSB claims a"provocation," per the Kyiv Post.Andrii Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) of the Ministry of Defense, rejected the FSB's statements as "absurd."<h2>Putin had dismissed US warnings </h2><div type="image" title="Emergency services vehicles are seen outside the burning Crocus City Hall concert hall following the shooting incident in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow on March 22, 2024." height="3282" width="4923" msid="108738059" hostid="261" sizebytes="687650"></div><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/93-dead-11-arrested-terrorist-attack-moscow-russia-2024-3?mrfhud=true">The four gunmen have been detained</a>, said Putin, alongside seven other detainees.According to Russia's Investigative Committee: "The death toll will rise further. According to preliminary data, the causes of death were gunshot wounds and poisoning by combustion products."ISIS-K, one of the most active regional affiliates of the Islamic State, claimed responsibility for the attack.The militant group previously hit the headlines for orchestrating the suicide bombing at the <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/there-was-an-explosion-outside-kabul-airport-pentagon-2021-8">Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul</a> that killed 13 US military soldiers and 169 civilians in 2021.Putin called on international cooperation to address terrorism."We will stand united against this <a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.eu/article/vladimir-putin-ukraine-moscow-concert-hall-terrorist-attack-russia/">common enemy of international terrorism</a> no matter where it shows its ugly head," he said, per Politico.Just three days before the rampage, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-dismissed-us-warnings-days-before-moscow-concert-hall-attack-2024-3">Putin dismissed US warnings</a> about an incident as "blackmail."

Kyiv rebuffs Putin's claims that gunmen who killed 133 Russian concertgoers had links to Ukraine

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ex-CIA officer Laura Thomas explained the 'duty to warn' protocol, that sounds the alarm on threats.</li><li>The protocol is a tool to save lives and also communicates the CIA's knowledge to adversaries.</li></ul>The US intelligence community notified Russia of a potential threat head of March 22 Crocus City Hall attack under the "duty to warn" protocol, a requirement that a former CIA case officer broke down in a series of posts this week.The CIA uses the "duty to warn" protocol to alert a US or non-US entity of an impending threat. It's not only a tool to save lives, it also sends "a message to our adversaries about our knowledge and values," Laura Thomas <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/laurae_thomas/status/1773094286994878948?s=46&amp;t=BirrnwAXWkRBhEoBQNntlg">explained</a> on X on Thursday.Beyond protecting innocent people, it "may make a foreign intelligence officer from an adversarial country think 'if they try to protect even those from enemy countries, maybe they really would take care of me and protect me if I were a clandestine source for them,'" Thomas said.<h2>Delivering a "duty to warn" notification</h2>The first step in delivering a "duty to warn" notification is vetting the source's information as "credible" and making sure it contains "enough details on timing, location and/or perpetrators of the attack that there is reason to believe that sharing the information would prevent innocent loss of life," she said."Duty to warn" provides domestic and international intelligence with as much information as possible to prevent an attack, but certain things are withheld to protect spy operations.Sources could face serious risks like imprisonment or execution if adversaries find them out, so the language of a "duty to warn" notification is broad and sources are kept private when warnings are provided.In general, "duty to warn" must communicate threats effectively to threatened individuals and governments without blowing the source's cover.<div type="image" title="Emergency services vehicles are seen outside the burning Crocus City Hall concert hall following the shooting incident in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow on March 22, 2024." height="3282" width="4923" msid="108882038" hostid="261" sizebytes="687650"></div>In her experiences with these warnings, Thomas said, she would notify CIA headquarters of the "duty to warn" need when it met the expectations of a typical "duty to warn" scenario and when she completed her outline of how the threatened entity would receive the "duty to warn" tip.If CIA headquarters found intelligence that met the "duty to warn" threshold on its own, then it would appropriately craft and send the notification and plans to the appropriate office that would then deliver the warning to the threatened entity.Once a "duty to warn" notification is delivered, the CIA officer who issued the warning documents marks it as a "fulfilled" duty.It must be noted that a "duty to warn" tip is not the same as a State Department advisory warning."CIA's own duty to warn process does not always involve State Department, as it is not the same as a 'public' notification," Thomas said. "State would issue a public warning if they assessed that US citizens abroad would also be at significant risk (which would have been the case in Russia recently)."<div type="image" title="Russian Rosguardia national guard servicemen secure an area near the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow on March 22, 2024." height="4000" width="6000" msid="108882040" hostid="261" sizebytes="382148"></div>The US embassy in Russia issued a warning weeks ahead of the Crocus Concert Hall. The US intelligence community also warned the Russians. Days before the attack, however, Putin <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-dismissed-us-warnings-days-before-moscow-concert-hall-attack-2024-3">said</a> the warning was "blackmail" meant to destabilize and intimidate Russian society."The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours," the US embassy in Russia stated in a public security alert on March 7.On March 22, at least 137 people were killed and over 145 people were injured in an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moscow-concert-hall-attack-russia-crocus-city-hall-2024-3">attack</a> at a music venue near Moscow. ISIS-K, an Islamic State branch, took responsibility for the attack, but Russia is pushing blame in other directions, including at Ukraine.

Former CIA officer breaks down 'duty to warn' requirement that saw the US give rival Russia a heads up before the attack in Moscow

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Gunmen attacked Orthodox churches and synagogues in Dagestan on Sunday, killing around 20 people.</li><li>The attacks raised questions about Russia's domestic security as it continues its war in Ukraine.</li></ul>On Sunday evening, gunmen attacked <a target="_blank" href="https://tass.com/defense/1808009">two Orthodox churches and two synagogues</a> in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/russia">Russia's</a> predominantly Muslim Dagestan region, hurling Molotov cocktails and exchanging fire with police.The attacks, which killed around 20 people, raised major questions about whether the Kremlin has the resources to protect its citizens back home while pursuing its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/russia-ukraine-war">war in Ukraine</a>.The incident "caught security forces completely off guard," Lucas Webber, a research fellow at the Soufan Center, a New York-based think tank, told Business Insider — despite the fact that it would have required "quite a bit of planning and preparation beforehand."The attacks also illustrated "the diverse range of militant actors Russia has angered through its domestic and foreign policy actions," he added.The Institute for the Study of War reported that the Islamic State's (IS) Northern Caucasus branch, Wilayat Kavkaz, was likely behind the attacks, noting that they had "increased fears within the Russian information space about further terrorist attacks and instability in the North Caucasus."Five of the six gunmen said to have been killed in the attack also had connections to the Dagestan <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dagestan-anti-jewish-airport-rampage-was-egged-on-by-telegram-channel-2023-10">region's</a> political elite, according to the <a target="_blank" href="https://cepa.org/article/islamists-feast-as-russias-security-state-slumbers/">Center for European Policy Analysis</a>, a Washington DC-based think tank.<div type="image" title="A view of the destruction after more than 15 police officers have been killed in armed attacks in Makhachkala checkpoint and a synagogue in Derbent, in Dagestan, Russia on June 24, 2024. Describing it as a 'terrorist attack,' the Republic's head, Sergey Melikov said: 'We know who is behind this and what the organizers of these attacks aimed for. War has come to our home.' Active phase of counter-terrorism operations in Makhachkala and Derbent has been completed, and six gunmen responsible for the attacks were neutralized. (Photo by National Antiterrorism Committee / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)" height="570" width="1024" msid="111361391" hostid="261" sizebytes="32888"></div>The attacks marked the latest in a series of major domestic security failures that have plagued Russia since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.Such incidents have presented a major problem for Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose reputation as a strongman able to guarantee security and order in Russia while also waging a war against Ukraine appears to be flailing.Earlier this month, security forces stormed a detention center in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don where six inmates linked to Islamic State had taken two guards hostage. The inmates were killed, and the hostages were freed, Russian news agency Tass reported, citing Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service.In March, gunmen entered the packed <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/isis-k-allowed-slipped-into-moscow-massacre-because-war-zelenskyy-2024-3">Crocus City Hall concert venue in Moscow</a>, killing more than 140 people and leaving many more injured. Four men from Tajikistan were detained following the attack. Islamic State later claimed responsibility.In October, a mob of protesters also <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dagestan-anti-jewish-airport-rampage-was-egged-on-by-telegram-channel-2023-10">ransacked</a> Dagestan's main airport in search of Jewish people to target.<h2 id="9b13bd34-e537-4e93-9d19-9e7030543b75">North Caucasus</h2>Russia's North Caucasus region has a long history of rebellion against Kremlin rule, especially in Chechnya, where Russia battled separatists in two bloody wars — in 1994-1996 and then in 1999-2009.But such violence became increasingly rare, with immense pressure from security services and developments in Syria and Iraq causing Islamic State's presence in the Caucasus to splinter, Mark Youngman, the founder of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://threatologist.com/about/">Threatologist</a>, which analyzes Eurasian security risks and specializes in the North Caucasus, told BI."Since 2017, there has been no organized insurgency — no infrastructure, no leadership — challenging Russia's presence," Youngman said. "Since that point, most jihadist violence has been perpetrated by isolated individuals and small groups — people inspired by jihadist ideology, but lacking resources and connections."<div type="image" title="Emergency services vehicles are seen outside the burning Crocus City Hall concert hall following the shooting incident in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow on March 22, 2024." height="3282" width="4923" msid="111361386" hostid="261" sizebytes="687650"></div>Nevertheless, Russia remained a "priority enemy of Islamic State," Webber said — something he noted has been exacerbated by Russia's "2015 intervention in Syria, expanded private military companies activities across Africa, and strengthened ties with Iran and the Taliban."Youngman said that part of the problem stems from Russia not taking "meaningful steps" to tackle the root causes that have fed support for radical ideologies in the region, such as "arbitrary behavior by the security services, human rights violations, poverty, corruption," and "lack of opportunities."Russia has instead relied on force to counter insurgency, Youngman said.Despite Sunday's incident being the second major terrorist attack in just three months, Russian security services "have not really changed their strategy," Harold Chambers, a political and security analyst specializing in the North Caucasus, told BI."Dagestan's authorities have been focused on hunting Ukrainian agents, real or fake, and followers of online opposition members," Chambers said. "Thus, the presence of radical actors who were publicly known went unaddressed."Russia's security services "do not seem to possess the same level of intelligence about threats — or, if they do, they are not acting on it," Youngman added. They are "distracted by events in Ukraine."

Terrorist attacks are on the rise in Russia as Putin remains 'distracted' by war in Ukraine

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Putin's inner circle isn't buying his claim that Kyiv is connected to the Moscow terror attack, Bloomberg reported.</li><li>Putin continues to say that Ukraine had a role in the attack, which was claimed by ISIS-K.</li></ul>Many Kremlin insiders disagree with President Vladimir Putin's claims that Ukraine may be connected to last Friday's terror attack in Moscow, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-26/putin-close-allies-see-no-link-to-moscow-arena-attack">Bloomberg reported</a>.While Putin and some of his followers continue to publicly push the idea of Ukraine's role in the attack, behind the scenes few people in Moscow's top business and political circles support the theory, insiders told the outlet.Ukraine has denied any connection to the attack, and no credible evidence has emerged for its involvement.On Friday, armed attackers <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moscow-concert-hall-attack-russia-crocus-city-hall-2024-3">stormed the Crocus City Hall in Moscow</a>, opening fire and killing at least 137 people during a rock concert. ISIS-K, a terror group based in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility.Four suspects, who <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-security-services-parade-brutal-treatment-of-terror-suspects-2024-3">appeared in court on Sunday</a>, were described in Russian state media as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moscow-attack-could-drive-wedge-between-putin-russia-ally-tajikistan-2024-3">coming from Tajikistan</a>.Addressing the nation the day after the attack, Putin said that Ukraine had provided the attackers with an escape route at its border.Making no mention of ISIS-K, he said: "They tried to hide and moved towards Ukraine, where according to preliminary data, a window was prepared for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the state border," <a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-moscow-krasnogorsk-gunmen-concert-hall-fire-97e321c3c477ece36d4fb32f50fa0e8a">NPR reported</a>.On Monday, Putin switched to blaming ISIS-K for the attack, but continued to allude to a Ukrainian connection."The United States, through various channels, is trying to convince its satellites and other countries of the world that, according to their intelligence data, there is supposedly no Kyiv trace in the Moscow terrorist attack," he said, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/26/ukraine-war-live-updates-latest-news-on-russia-and-the-war-in-ukraine.html">according to CNBC</a>.But Putin's narrative was undermined even by Belarusian President Alexandr Lukashenko, a close ally, who said that the suspects had first tried to go to his country."There was no chance they could enter Belarus," he said, <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://eng.belta.by/president/view/lukashenko-sheds-light-on-belarus-role-in-detaining-crocus-city-hall-terrorists-157028-2024/">according to</a> the state-run Belarusian Telegraph Agency. "So they took a turn and headed to the Ukraine-Russia border."According to Bloomberg, Putin has been confronted with his inner circle's doubts.Citing a person with knowledge of the situation, the outlet reported that Putin was in a meeting where officials agreed that Ukraine had no connection to the attack.Even so, Putin was committed to the idea that it would help mobilize support for the war there, the person reportedly said.Putin loyalists have continued to advance the theory without presenting any evidence.Alexander Bortnikov, director of Russia's FSB security service, said on television that he believed Islamist radicals were aided by Western special services, and that "the special services of Ukraine are directly related to this," <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putins-hawks-say-ukraine-was-involved-deadly-moscow-concert-attack-2024-03-26/">Reuters reported</a>.Asked whether ISIS or Ukraine was responsible, Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia's security council, said it was Ukraine, adding later that there were "many" indications of Kyiv's involvement, per Reuters.Andrei Soldatov, an expert on the FSB and Russian intelligence, told Bloomberg that Russia's security services "know this was Islamic State, but after Putin's remarks they have no choice but to follow orders and prove that there was Ukrainian or Western involvement."

Much of Putin's inner circle thinks Ukraine had nothing to do with the Moscow terror attack, badly undermining him, report says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russia says suspects in the Moscow terror attack came from Tajikistan, something the country denies.</li><li>Tajikistan and Russia are allies, but tensions have been growing between them.</li></ul>Russia's response to the terror attack on Friday in Moscow could drive a wedge between the country and one of its historical allies.Gunmen <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moscow-concert-hall-attack-russia-crocus-city-hall-2024-3">opened fire inside the Crocus City Hall music venue</a>, killing 137 people and injuring at least 145 more, Russian officials said.ISIS-K, a branch of the Islamic State group, claimed responsibility for the attack. The US also said that the group was behind the attack, citing intelligence.Russian state media said four suspects were identified as citizens of Tajikistan.Tajikistan, a country in Central Asia, has deep historical ties with Russia and was once part of the Soviet Union. It's now part of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-csto-never-been-effective-makes-putin-look-weak-experts-2023-7">which Russian President Vladimir Putin has long hoped would amount to the member countries' version of NATO</a>.The suggestion that the attackers were from Tajikistan could create new tensions between the country and Russia.<div type="image" title="Moscow attack" height="3652" width="5478" msid="108768954" hostid="261"></div>Tajikistan has already tried to distance itself from the attack.Its foreign ministry said Saturday reports that its citizens were involved were "fake," <a target="_blank" href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/03/24/terrorists-have-no-nationality-tajik-president-tells-putin-a84602">The Moscow Times reported</a>.The country's interior ministry also said that two of the suspects initially named by Russian media were in Tajikistan at the time of the attack, per The Moscow Times.Meanwhile, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon told Putin on Sunday that "terrorists have no nationality, no homeland and no religion," his office said.While its ties with China and North Korea have perhaps grown, Russia has become more isolated on the world stage <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-did-russia-invade-ukraine-putin-politics-motive-2023-6">since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022</a>.Even long-term allies with close cultural and economic ties, including Tajikistan, have revealed their frustrations.In October 2022, Rahmon <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-endures-long-rant-close-ally-complaining-lack-of-respect-2022-10">appeared to scold Putin to his face</a>, demanding respect for his country.According to <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11318437/Now-Putin-listen-lectures-President-TAJIKISTAN-berates-Russian-leader.html">Mail Online</a>, Rahmon said Tajikistan had to "beg" Russia to attend a forum in Tajikistan. "We are never being treated like strategic partners! No offense, but we want to be respected!" he said.Russia's relationships with other CSTO members are also increasingly strained, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/csto-russia-equivalent-of-nato-crumbling-amid-failures-ukraine-war-2023-5">experts on Russia and post-Soviet states previously told Business Insider that the alliance was crumbling</a>.Some of these experts said CSTO members looked at the invasion of Ukraine and believed that Russia was now unlikely to be able to protect them, and may even decide to attack them.Earlier this year, Armenia's president <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-ally-armenia-said-frozen-involvement-in-csto-putin-nato-2024-2">said the country had suspended its participation</a> with the CSTO after frequently criticizing it and Russia.<div type="image" title="yrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas, Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev enter the hall during the Summit of Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) at the Grand Kremlin Palace, May, 16, 2022, in Moscow, Russia." height="1365" width="2000" msid="108768955" hostid="261"></div>The suspects in the attack being citizens of Tajikistan would not disprove ISIS involvement. Neither ISIS nor the US has commented on the nationality of the attackers, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/24/islamic-state-recruiting-militants-from-tajikistan-and-other-central-asian-countries">ISIS has been recruiting in the country</a>, The Guardian reported.Russia is also going out of its way to point the finger at Ukrainian involvement. Putin said over the weekend that the assailants were fleeing to Ukraine after the attack and that Kyiv was helping them escape.Ukraine <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-claims-gunmen-who-killed-russians-had-links-ukraine-2024">denies any involvement</a> in the attack.Russia watchers predicted when the attack started that Putin would try to blame Ukraine so he could avoid responsibility and use it to galvanize support for his war.Experts also said that ISIS likely took advantage of Russia's distraction with the conflict in Ukraine. Vera Mironova, an associate fellow at the Davis Center at Harvard University, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ft.com/content/4cad8ebe-9a07-4c6d-b270-5c991ad349f6">told the Financial Times</a> that ISIS saw it as relatively easy to hit Moscow as a result.Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy <a target="_blank" href="https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/mi-mayemo-vsim-svitom-zahishatis-vid-tih-hto-vvazhaye-lyudej-89829">suggested</a> that Russia could have stopped the attack if it weren't attacking Ukraine."Those hundreds of thousands of Russians who are now killing on Ukrainian land would surely be enough to stop any terrorists," he said.

You Searched For "crocus city hall" and got 10 results

What we know about the Moscow concert hall attack and why ISIS-K is claiming responsibility

Lloyd Lee

Death toll from Moscow concert hall attack rises to 133. The FSB confirmed 11 suspects have been arrested.

Cameron Manley

Putin dismissed US warnings about a potential terror incident as 'blackmail' just 3 days before concert hall attack

Jake Epstein

Belarus' leader undermined the Kremlin's dubious claims that Ukraine backed ISIS attackers

Ella Sherman

Russia was too distracted trying to conquer Ukraine to notice ISIS-K gunmen slip into Moscow to massacre concertgoers, says Zelenskyy

Rebecca Rommen

Kyiv rebuffs Putin's claims that gunmen who killed 133 Russian concertgoers had links to Ukraine

Rebecca Rommen

Former CIA officer breaks down 'duty to warn' requirement that saw the US give rival Russia a heads up before the attack in Moscow

Ella Sherman

Terrorist attacks are on the rise in Russia as Putin remains 'distracted' by war in Ukraine

Cameron Manley

Much of Putin's inner circle thinks Ukraine had nothing to do with the Moscow terror attack, badly undermining him, report says

Mia Jankowicz

The Moscow terror attack could drive a wedge between Russia and one of its longtime allies

Sinéad Baker

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