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Arrests made as death toll in Moscow's concert attack mounts

Eleven people suspected to be involved in the attack have been detained by Russia as the death toll mounts to 115, including three children.

Reuters

Gunmen opened fire on unsuspecting civilians in a music venue near Moscow / Photo: Reuters

Eleven people have been detained after gunmen stormed a concert hall in Moscow and opened fire on the crowd, the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service told President Vladimir Putin, according to Russian state news agency Tass.

At least 93 people were killed in the attack, including three children, Russian authorities said Saturday.

Images shared by Russian state media Saturday showed a fleet of emergency vehicles still gathered outside the ruins of Crocus City Hall, a shopping mall and music venue with a capacity of more than 6,000 people in Krasnogorsk, on Moscow’s western edge.

The attack was the deadliest in Russia in years and came as the country’s fight in Ukraine dragged into a third year.

Videos posted online showed gunmen in the venue shooting civilians at point-blank range. The roof of the theatre, where crowds had gathered Friday for a performance by the Russian rock band Picnic, collapsed in the early hours of Saturday morning as firefighters spent hours fighting a fire which erupted during the attack.

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'Escaping to Ukraine'

Four of those detained were directly involved in the attack, Tass said.

The Russian Investigative Committee has said that four perpetrators of Friday's Moscow region concert hall attack were detained in the border region of Bryansk while heading to Ukraine.

Separately, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said it learned that a handler was waiting for the group on the Ukrainian side of the border to facilitate the passage and provide cover.

"Trying to escape, the terrorists were heading towards the Russian-Ukrainian border, planned to cross out and had contacts on the Ukrainian side," it said in a statement.

Earlier, the Russian authorities said a main highway leading to Ukraine was closed, and other important roads were being thoroughly monitored.

Russia has not blamed any group or country yet, but Daesh terror group claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the Reuters news agency. TRT World could not verify the authenticity of the claim.