New Delhi [India], March 30 (ANI): Following the recent Moscow Hall attack, Russian Ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, said on Saturday that Russia is committed to decisively fight the menace of terrorism together with India.
https://twitter.com/AmbRus_India/status/1774027821012385985
“Russia is committed to decisively fight the menace of terrorism together with India and other countries bilaterally and multilaterally, the Russian envoy said on X.
Additionally, Denis Alipov disclosed on X that the Embassy continues to receive condolence messages expressing sympathy over the significant loss of lives.
https://twitter.com/AmbRus_India/status/1774027814565773313
“The Embassy keeps receiving condolence messages expressing sympathy over the huge loss of lives and condemnation of the monstrous terrorist attack on March 22 near Moscow,” Denis Alipov said on X.
Furthermore, the Russian envoy said in a statement recently, “We highly appreciate the sentiments towards victims and their kin and the Russian Government by the people of India and other countries. Strong statements of support for Russia and rejection of terrorism in all manifestations were made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leaders of political parties, ministers, senior officials and public activists.”
On March 30, Tajikistan’s state security service detained nine people for suspected contact with the perpetrators of last week’s attack by gunmen on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed 144 people, Russian state media reported.
Russian officials previously said that 11 suspects had been arrested in the country, including four who allegedly carried out the attack.
Morever, On March 29, according to CNN reports, claims were made that the Russian security services were aware of the threat of an ISIS attack on a concert hall near Moscow, citing Russian intelligence documents obtained by a UK-based investigative organisation.
According to the London-based Dossier Centre, the documents showed ethnic Tajiks radicalised by ISIS-K – the Central Asian offshoot of the terror group ISIS – could have been involved.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack with statements, photos, and a propaganda video filmed by the attackers.
Earlier, a TASS correspondent reported from the courtroom that one of the men charged with committing the terror attack is a Tajik national.
CNN reported that all four are from the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan and have been in Russia on either temporary or expired visas.
During his televised address, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine prepared a “window” for the attackers to cross the border and vowed to identify and punish everyone behind the attack. He also declared March 24 a national mourning day.
Putin had said, “We will investigate this terrorist attack and we already have some results. All the four perpetrators, who were directly involved who were gunning people down, killing people.
They were found and apprehended. They tried to escape. They were moving towards the border with Ukraine and we have data that suggests that they were about to be moved towards the territory of Ukraine by those in Ukraine.
The concert venue, with an estimated capacity of 7,500, was almost full when the terrorists struck and the assault took place ahead of a performance by the Russian rock band Picnic, RT news agency reported earlier.
According to the mobile phone footage and eyewitness accounts, at least five gunmen wearing military-style gear and carrying assault rifles first opened fire at unarmed security guards at the main entrance to the venue.
They then proceeded to shoot indiscriminately at the fleeing crowd of panicked visitors. Once the terrorists reached the concert hall, they appeared to set fire to rows of chairs inside, with the blaze quickly engulfing much of the building, including its roof.
The ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack at the concert venue complex near Moscow on Friday night.
According to a CNN report, the US warned Moscow that ISIS militants were determined to target Russia in the days before assailants stormed Crocus City Hall in an attack that killed scores of people, but President Vladimir Putin rejected the advice as “provocative.
“US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the US government had “shared this information with Russian authorities in accordance with its longstanding ‘duty to warn’ policy.” (ANI)
