On the evening of March 22, a brutal terrorist attack took place at the Crocus City Hall theater near Moscow. TASS reported that according to the latest data, the death toll to date is at least 133 people and could increase. The Russian Ministry of Health reported more than 140 injuries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a special speech on national television. He vowed to identify and charge all those behind the attack and declared March 24 a national mourning day.
The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said rescue forces had cleared more than 90 cubic meters of debris at Crocus City Hall.
"Rescue forces from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations have cleared more than 90 cubic meters of debris at the site of the attack. Workers' dogs and robots were deployed to participate in the rescue, the Ministry said.
Crocus City Hall was attacked by gunmen late on March 22. The videos show some people carrying guns attacking and shooting the victims at close range. The gunmen also targeted a adjacent shopping mall, burned it and caused a major fire in the building before fleeing the scene.
On March 23, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said that 11 people, including 4 direct culprits in the massacre, had been arrested. Four suspects were arrested while trying to flee to Ukraine.
According to the FSB, the attack was carefully planned to maximize casualties. The weapons used in the shooting were arranged in advance in an warehouse.
On March 23, RT reporter Margarita Simonyan posted a video recording the questioning of one of the suspects. The man in the video claimed that he had killed her after being offered a 500,000 ruble ($5,400). The suspect also said he had been instructed on where the attack would take place. The suspect was given an order to "kill someone there, no matter who" and was given a weapon by an unidentified person.
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke nationwide after the terrorist attack, expressing his condolences to the victims and their families affected by the shooting, and saying that those behind the tragedy would be punished.
The president added that all the accomplices have been arrested and security forces are doing everything possible to protect Russian citizens from further mass killings.
The important thing now is to prevent those behind this blood bath from committing another crime, Putin stressed.
