Russia: at least 40 dead and 100 injured in a shooting at a Moscow concert hall

MADRID, 22 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –

A group of armed individuals opened fire this Friday inside the Crocus City Hall concert hall in the northwest of the Russian capital, Moscow, leaving a provisional toll of 40 dead and one hundred injured, according to the Federal Security Service. .

The attackers entered the building dressed in camouflage and armed with machine guns and fired numerous shots at civilians. Agents of the special forces of the Russian National Guard have been transferred to the scene, reports the TASS agency.

Russian authorities have launched an investigation into what they consider to be a terrorist attack. The Federal Security Service has announced that preliminary data point to the aforementioned balance, although the relevant investigative actions are still being carried out.

In addition, a virulent fire has been recorded that consumes about a third of the building, which has caused the intervention of fire services. Emergency teams have also moved to the scene and have managed to rescue a hundred people sheltered inside.

The Russian Main Investigation Directorate has opened a criminal case for a possible terrorist attack, a point shared by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zajarova, who has also pointed to possible terrorist motivations for the event.

The Federal Air Transport Agency, for its part, has reported that Moscow’s four main airports have reinforced their security measures with more exhaustive control of entry groups, as well as the entire perimeter of the facilities.

This event occurs just two weeks after the US Embassy in Moscow warned of an “imminent” risk of a terrorist attack against large concentrations of people in the Russian capital, recommending its citizens avoid crowds.

In fact, the United States National Security spokesman, John Kirby, has spoken out from Washington and has expressed his support to the families of the victims. Furthermore, he has pointed out that “there are no indications” that Ukraine may have been involved in the shooting.

In this sense, the spokesperson for Russian diplomacy has stressed that if the United States authorities have information about the event, they should immediately share it with the Kremlin.