At least 40 people were killed and 100 wounded when gunmen opened fire at a rock concert in a Moscow suburb on Friday leaving dead and wounded before a massive fire spread through the theater, Russia’s TASS news reported, citing the FSB.
Assailants wearing camouflaged clothing entered the building where they began shooting and threw either a grenade or an incendiary bomb, a journalist from RIA Novosti news agency said.
Russia’s foreign ministry said the incident was a “terrorist attack.”
Fire spread rapidly through Crocus City Hall north of Moscow where the theater that can hold several thousand people has witnessed several concerts from A-list international artists, reporters said.
No details were revealed on the number of casualties but Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said there were deaths at the concert held by the Russian rock band Piknik.
An RIA Novosti reporter said automatic gunfire was used.
A journalist reported that people in the audience hit the ground for protection and began crawling out when it was safe, adding security forces had arrived at the scene.
About 100 people escaped through the basement of the theater and others took shelter on the roof, according to the emergency services ministry.
The US presidency referred to the attack as “terrible” but said there was no immediate sign of any link to the war in Ukraine.
Sobyanin said all public events in Moscow have been canceled over the weekend.
TASS news agency said SOBR, special police forces, and the OMON anti-riot squad had been deployed to Crocus hall.
It also reported that all members of the rock band had been safely evacuated.
