Russian authorities have officially implicated the Islamic State (IS) in the orchestration of the March concert hall attack in Moscow, marking the deadliest terror incident in the country in twenty years. According to Alexander Bortnikov, the director of the Federal Security Service (FSB), investigations have revealed that the planning, financing, execution, and subsequent retreat of the terrorists involved were coordinated through online channels by members associated with the Khorasan Province (IS-K), an IS branch primarily active in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This disclosure emerged via statements quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency.
Despite previous claims of responsibility by IS for the March 22 attack, which claimed the lives of over 140 individuals, Moscow had persistently attempted to link the incident to Ukraine and Western involvement.
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Bortnikov, while underscoring the IS connection, did not completely discard the possibility of Ukrainian involvement. He stated, “Upon completing the attack, the terrorists received clear instructions to move toward the Ukrainian border, where from the other side a ‘window’ had been prepared for them.”
“Ukraine has vehemently denied any complicity in the attack.”
The assault unfolded as gunmen clad in camouflage stormed the Crocus City Hall venue, situated on the outskirts of Moscow, before setting the premises ablaze.
Subsequent to the attack, authorities have apprehended more than a dozen suspects, including the four assailants, all hailing from Tajikistan, a Central Asian nation bordering Afghanistan to the north.
Earlier warnings from the United States have come under scrutiny, with reports indicating that American officials had both publicly and privately alerted Russian counterparts in early March about extremist plans to target a concert hall in Moscow. Notably, unnamed US intelligence sources disclosed post-attack that they specifically flagged the Crocus City Hall as the intended site of the IS assault.
However, Russia had dismissed these warnings, with President Vladimir Putin accusing Washington of “blackmail” and attempting to “intimidate” Russians just days prior to the attack.
