Russia’s Investigative Committee has officially completed its investigation into the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, a concert venue near Moscow. The case has now been forwarded to the Prosecutor’s Office for submission to court, according to an official statement.
The attack, which shocked the country earlier last year, was described by investigators as meticulously planned, allegedly carried out “in the interests of the Ukrainian leadership” to destabilize Russia, Meduza reports.
According to the investigation, the group behind the Crocus attack had also plotted a second assault — a bombing at an entertainment complex in Kaspiysk, Dagestan. Authorities claim this plot was foiled in time. Additionally, investigators allege that weapons for the Moscow attack were routed through Kaspiysk.
The Crocus assault had reportedly been in preparation for several months, and some suspects entered Russia from abroad after undergoing special training. The specific countries where this training occurred were not disclosed.
A total of 19 individuals have been formally charged. Investigations into two suspected masterminds and four other members of the terrorist group are still ongoing, the Committee said.
On March 22, 2024, a coordinated terrorist attack against civilians occurred at the Crocus City Hall music venue in Crocus City, Krasnogorsk, Moscow oblast. The attack began at around 20:00 MSK, shortly before the Russian band Picnic was scheduled to play a sold-out show at the venue. Four terrorists associated with Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS–KP or ISIS-K) carried out a mass shooting, as well as slashing attacks on the people gathered at the venue, and used incendiary devices to set the venue on fire. Investigators said 149 people had been killed (including those who died later in hospital), and 609 concertgoers injured by gunfire or suffering from burns.
IS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement through the IS-affiliated Amaq news agency shortly after the attack, with its regional branch in the Afghanistan–Pakistan border region, IS–KP, most likely being responsible. Amaq also published a video filmed by one of the attackers. It showed the attackers shooting victims and slitting the throat of a victim, while the filming attacker was reciting the takbir, praising God and speaking against infidels.
Russia's Foreign Ministry called the incident a terrorist attack. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared March 24, 2024 to be a national day of mourning, and sought to link assailants to Ukraine. It was the deadliest terrorist attack on Russian soil since the Beslan school siege in 2004. Investigators detained 19 people in relation to the attack, including four suspects, who were charged with terrorism later on March 24.
