Four men charged in connection with massacre at Moscow concert hall

The attack Friday at the Crocus City Hall concert venue in Moscow claimed the lives of at least 137 people and injured more than 180, according to a report by Russian state media group TASS. Russia’s Federal Security Service described it as a terrorist attack. It took place during a performance for the Russian rock band Piknik at the Crocus City Hall. 

Who is responsible for the attack?  According to reports from Russian state media, four men have been arrested in connection with the attack so far: Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, Shamsidin Fariduni and Muhammadsobir Fayzov. All four men showed signs of severe beatings when they appeared before a Russian court on Sunday on formal terrorism charges. According to a report from Reuters, ISIS-K, an Afghanistan-based offshoot of the so-called “Islamic State” terrorist group, claimed responsibility for the attack on the social media platform Telegram by Amaq.

Was there any warning of the attack? The U.S. Embassy in Moscow on March 7 warned U.S. citizens in the area to avoid crowds, specifically concerts, for the next two days. The embassy was “monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings,” according to the alert. The U.S. State Department warns citizens not to travel to Russia because of the “possibility of terrorism,” among other reasons.

Dig deeper: Read Jill Nelson’s report in WORLD Magazine about whether Russian opposition movements can survive violent oppression beyond Russia’s borders.