As of the morning of March 23 (Vietnam time), the number of victims killed in the attack on the Crocus City Hall shopping mall in the Moscow region of Russia has risen to more than 60, with 145 people taken to hospitals for emergency treatment. Russia called this a “terrorist attack” and called on the international community to condemn the attack.
According to Russia’s TASS news agency, the attack occurred on the evening of March 22 (local time), right before the opening of the famous Russian rock band Piknik’s concert. A group of people entered the concert hall and opened fire on the crowd, killing about 40 people and injuring about 145, of whom 9 are in critical condition.
Initial reports said the attackers were wearing camouflage. The incident is classified as highly complex. The death toll could rise as many victims have yet to be identified as all forces are focused on rescue efforts.
The city government announced the cancellation of all public gatherings this weekend. Russian authorities have also opened an investigation into the incident.
The attack site has a capacity of 6,000 people. State news agencies reported that up to 70 ambulance crews were dispatched to the scene.
According to TASS, the Moscow Region Emergency Situations Ministry directed two helicopters and 320 firefighters to extinguish the fire.
On her Telegram channel, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called on the international community to condemn the attack. Ms. Zakharova called it a “heinous crime committed in front of the eyes of all humanity”.
In a statement from New York, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack in “the strongest terms” and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and to the people and government of Russia. The UN is closely following the situation.
Speaking to reporters, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stated: "Our thoughts are with the victims of this terrible attack. The images are horrific and difficult to watch."
The European Union (EU) and many European countries, the governments of Argentina, Brazil and Chile... issued statements strongly condemning the terrorist attack and expressing solidarity with the families of the victims, as well as the government and people of Russia.
While Russia has not yet released information about the shooters, according to a Western source, on the Telegram page, a branch of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) claimed to have carried out the attack and US officials confirmed this statement shortly afterwards.
After a period of relative inactivity, IS is looking to step up attacks outside Afghanistan, according to US counterterrorism officials. Most of those plots in Europe have been thwarted, leading experts to assess that the group’s capabilities have been degraded.
The New York Times quoted US officials as saying that according to intelligence gathered by the US in March, the Islamic State Khorasan, also known as ISIS-K, an IS affiliate based in Afghanistan, had planned to attack Moscow. IS members have been active in Russia in recent times.
Colin P. Clarke, a counterterrorism analyst at the Soufan Group, a New York-based security consulting firm, said ISIS-K has focused on Russia over the past two years. In addition to publicly warning on March 7 about a possible attack, the U.S. said it privately briefed Russian officials on intelligence indicating an attack was imminent.
KHANH HUNG
Source
Comment (0)