Moscow arrests 11 people, including four involved in Crocus City Hall attack

Shafaq News/ Russia apprehended 11 individuals, including the four assailants, in connection with Friday's assault on a concert hall, the head of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), Aleksandr Bortnikov, informed President Vladimir Putin, as stated by the Kremlin.

The Kremlin press service quoted Bortnikov on Saturday, saying that the FSB is actively working to identify the accomplice network of the perpetrators involved in the terrorist attack.

An attack unfolded at Crocus City Hall just outside Moscow on Friday evening, resulting in the deaths of at least 62 people and leaving over 100 others wounded, according to Russia's Federal Security Service.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying on Telegram that its fighters "attacked a large gathering in the suburbs of the Russian capital, Moscow."

The statement added that the fighters "withdrew to their bases safely."

Videos and photos depict the concert hall engulfed in flames, with gunmen seen firing from automatic weapons as panicked attendees scrambled for safety. Moscow's special forces, police, and firefighters rushed to the scene to contain the situation and provide aid to the wounded.

The Russian Investigative Committee has launched an investigation into the incident, treating it as a terrorist attack.

Russia has tightened its security measures at airports, stations, and across the capital, a vast area inhabited by more than 21 million people.

After the attack, Ukraine denied any involvement, emphasizing its ongoing conflict with Russia and distancing itself from the tragic events in Moscow.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the Office of the Ukrainian President, said, "Regarding the events in Moscow's Crocus City in the Russian suburbs, where a shooting took place just today, certain terrorist actions by unidentified persons. Let's make it clear: Ukraine absolutely has nothing to do with these events."

"Firstly, we are in a full-scale, full-fledged, large, intense war with the Russian regular army and with the Russian Federation as a country. And everything will be decided on the battlefield." He added.

In turn, the White House also refuted any suggestion of Ukrainian responsibility, expressing condolences to the victims and their families.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said "there's no indication" that Ukraine was involved in the "terrible" attack.

"The images are just horrible and just hard to watch, and our thoughts obviously going to be with the victims of this terrible, terrible shooting attack," Kirby added.

The US Embassy in Moscow had previously issued a warning about potential extremist threats targeting large gatherings in the city. Still, Kirby clarified that this alert was unrelated to the attack at Crocus City Hall.

Notably, President Putin has not yet made a statement, while the Russian Foreign Ministry described the incident as a "bloody terrorist attack."