Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted on Monday that “radical Islamists” were responsible for the recent assault on a concert hall near Moscow, which claimed the lives of over 130 individuals.
Putin raised inquiries about the attackers’ attempts to go to Ukraine.
In a televised conference, Putin stated, “We are aware that the atrocity was perpetrated by radical Islamists, whose ideology has been contested by the Islamic world for centuries.” He emphasized the ideological struggle within Islam as a backdrop to the attack.
Moreover, Putin disclosed that the assailants had purportedly sought to enter Ukraine, prompting him to question their motives and connections.
At least 137 people were killed when gunmen stormed Crocus City Hall in Moscow’s Krasnogorsk suburb and set fire to the building on Friday evening.
ISIS on Saturday wrote on Telegram that the attack was “carried out by four IS fighters armed with machine guns, a pistol, knives, and firebombs,” in “the raging war” with “countries fighting Islam.”
A short video apparently filmed by the gunmen has been posted on social media accounts normally used by ISIS, the SITE intelligence group said.
Putin has vowed to punish those behind the “barbaric terrorist attack” but made no mention of ISIS’ claim of responsibility in his public remarks.
“They tried to escape and were traveling towards Ukraine, where, according to preliminary data, a window was prepared for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the state border,” he said in a televised statement on Saturday.
Kyiv has strongly denied any connection and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Putin of trying to shift the blame onto them.
