Russia has ordered four men accused of killing at least 137 people in a massacre at a Moscow concert hall to be held in custody on “terror” charges as the death toll is expected to rise, with over 100 people currently hospitalized.
The men face life in prison, although Russian officials have clamored for the lifting of a moratorium on the death penalty to deliver even harsher sentences.
In a series of late-night court hearings in Moscow that ran into the early hours of Monday, the four men, with bruises and cuts over their faces, were dragged into the court in front of dozens of reporters who had assembled at the capital’s Basmanny district court.
FSB security service officers wheeled one in to the hearing on a medical gurney, following reports and videos on Russian social media of bloody interrogations after the men were arrested on Saturday.
The Friday evening attack has been claimed by Islamic State (ISIS), though Russian officials have not commented on their possible involvement.
In his only public remarks since, President Vladimir Putin pointed to a Ukrainian connection, saying the four suspected gunmen were arrested while trying to flee there.
