Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his strong condemnation of the “heinous terrorist attack” at a concert hall in Moscow, where over 60 individuals lost their lives and more than 100 were injured.
“We strongly condemn the heinous terrorist attack in Moscow. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims. Bharat stands in solidarity with the government and the people of the Russian Federation in this hour of grief,” PM Modi stated on social media platform X.
The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the assault.
In response to the tragedy, the Russian Embassy in Bharat announced that the national flag would be flown at half-mast as a mark of mourning and solidarity with the victims’ families.
The attackers stormed the venue wielding firearms and incendiary devices, causing widespread chaos and destruction.
Although ISIS asserted responsibility for the attack, they provided no evidence to support their claim. Video footage captured the horrifying scene as concertgoers scrambled for safety amidst gunfire and explosions, ultimately resulting in the concert hall catching fire.
Reports from state-run RIA Novosti detailed how the armed assailants unleashed automatic gunfire and detonated either a grenade or an incendiary bomb, sparking a blaze at the scene. They reportedly fled the area in a white Renault car.
Furthermore, US officials confirmed the ISIS claim shortly after, disclosing that intelligence had been shared with Russian counterparts warning of an impending attack. This intelligence, gathered in March, indicated that ISIS-K (Islamic State-Khorasan), the Afghanistan-based branch of ISIS, was plotting an assault in Moscow. While public warnings were issued on March 7, the extent of private intelligence shared remains unclear.
