Dushanbe: Tajikistan authorities have apprehended nine individuals this week suspected of having ties to the mass shooting at a Russian concert hall last Friday and purported links to the militant Islamist group claiming responsibility, as per a Tajik security source informed Reuters.
Four Tajik citizens are believed to be the alleged gunmen responsible for the deadliest attack in Russia in two decades. They, along with seven other suspects, some also hailing from Tajikistan, have been taken into custody.
As reported by the international news agency Reuters, a source confirmed that Tajikistan’s state security committee conducted the detentions on Monday in the city of Vakhdat, and the suspects have since been relocated to the capital, Dushanbe. However, further details regarding the arrests were not disclosed.
The assault on the concert hall near Moscow resulted in the tragic loss of at least 143 lives.
In efforts to assist Russian investigators, Tajikistan, a member of a Russian-led security bloc hosting a Russian military base, has also detained the families of the alleged gunmen, allowing for questioning in Dushanbe, sources informed Reuters earlier this week.
Tajikistan, with a predominantly Muslim population of 10 million bordering Afghanistan, heavily relies on remittances from migrant laborers in Russia, with its economy still recovering from the devastation caused by a civil war in the 1990s.
While Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the concert hall attack, U.S. officials assert intelligence indicating the involvement of the network’s Afghan branch, Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K).
In contrast, Russian investigators alleged on Thursday a connection between the concert hall gunmen and “Ukrainian nationalists.” The United States promptly refuted this claim as unfounded propaganda, with Kyiv vehemently denying any involvement in the attack.
