What is known about the Crocus City Hall shooting so far?

A shooting spree erupted on Friday at the major music venue located in Krasnogorsk, a city in the north-west of the Russia’s capital Moscow region.

What do we know about the incident?

   

▪️ At least three people in camouflage burst into the ground floor of the Crocus City Hall venue and opened fire with automatic weapons. The gunmen then threw a grenade or an incendiary bomb, which started a fire in the venue, according to a Sputnik correspondent.

▪️ Audience members lay down on the floor to escape the shooting. After 15 to 20 minutes they began to move towards the exit.

▪️ The Special Rapid Response Unit (SOBR) and Special Purpose Mobile Unit (OMON), as well as firefighters, rushed to the scene of the incident.

▪️ More than 50 ambulance teams have been dispatched to the site

▪️ The concert hall is on fire, authorities are evacuating people from the building, while the firefighters are trying to put out the flames. At least 100 people have been escorted out of the venue.

Authorities react to the attack:

▪️ Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov rushed to the site of the assault

▪️ The first victims of the terrorist attack were admitted to hospitals. Russian Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko is monitoring the situation, the minister’s aide told Sputnik.

▪️ Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova urged the world community to condemn the assault on the concert hall.

▪️ The White House claims that it had no information about the preparation of a terrorist attack in Moscow.

▪️ Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin announced that all sport, cultural and other public events in Moscow would be cancelled this weekend.

Russian president Putin was informed about the shooting at Crocus City Hall within moments of it starting, the Kremlin stated.

The President is constantly receiving information about the situation on the ground and the measures being taken through all the relevant agencies, and has given all the necessary instructions, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on the White House’s reaction to the terrorist attack in Moscow:

“The White House said it saw no indication that Ukraine or Ukrainians were involved in the terrorist attack in Moscow.

On what basis do officials in Washington draw any conclusions about anyone’s innocence in the midst of a tragedy? If the United States has or had reliable information in this regard, then it must be immediately transferred to the Russian side.

And if there is no such data, then the White House has no right to issue indulgences to anyone, Sputnik International reported

All those involved, as stated by the Russian leadership, will be identified by the competent authorities.”

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