Moscow, Mar. 26, (dpa/GNA) – Three days after the terrorist attack on a Moscow concert hall, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed on Monday that the mass shooting “was committed by radical Islamists,” while still continuing to hint at a potential Ukrainian involvement.
The confirmed death toll from the attack rose to 139 by Monday evening, according to Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova.
Four gunmen opened fire on concert-goers at the Crocus City Hall venue just outside Moscow on Friday evening just before the start of a rock concert. They also set fire to the building, collapsing the roof.
Golikova said that the bodies of 75 of the dead have been identified so far, while 93 people, including five children, are still being treated in hospital for injuries in the attack. More than 180 people are said to have been injured to varying degrees.
It cannot be ruled out that more bodies will be found in the rubble of the burnt-out hall.
Eleven suspects were arrested following the attack, including the four alleged shooters, according to Russian authorities.
Putin had previously suggested that Ukraine might have some connection with the bloody terrorist attack, without providing any evidence. Ukrainian officials have vehemently denied any connection to the attack.
In a review of the attack, Putin again on Monday claimed the suspected attackers were captured while trying to flee toward Ukraine. He claimed that it now must be clarified why the terrorists wanted to escape to Ukraine after the bloody deed – “and who was expecting them there.”
An offshoot of the Islamic State terrorist group, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) which is based in Afghanistan and Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the brutal attack and published videos of the mass shooting to bolster its claim, but Russian authorities had so far not commented on that.
Western security authorities and experts consider the IS claim of responsibility credible.
Ukrainian officials have pointed out that the border region is heavily mined more than two years into Russia’s all-out invasion and that, due to the war, the area is a hotbed of Russian troops and secret service officials, making it an unlikely escape route for the attackers.
Putin on Monday said investigators still needed to answer several questions.
“How do radical Islamists who claim to be devout Muslims and profess so-called pure Islam come to commit serious atrocities and crimes during the holy month of Ramadan, which is sacred to all Muslims?” he asked.
It also remains to be seen “whether radical and terrorist Islamic organizations are really interested in attacking Russia, which today stands for a just solution to the escalating Middle East conflict,” he added.
On Sunday evening, the four main suspects were brought before a court in Moscow and taken into custody. The faces of the men showed injuries as traces of suspected torture.
Three more suspects were given pre-trial detention by a Moscow district court on Monday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on the numerous reports about the alleged torture of four detained suspects by Russian security forces.
In response to a journalist who pointed to the men’s clearly visible injuries in the courtroom and to videos of torture, Peskov merely said: “I will leave this question unanswered.”
Videos have been circulating on social networks that appear to show the suspected attackers being tortured, including one of them having his ear cut off. Dpa is unable to independently confirm the authenticity of the videos.
The suspects had visible bruises, swollen faces, lacerations and other injuries, and one of the men had a large bandage over his ear. Russian media reports said that one of the men was unable to walk and was wheeled into the courtroom on a stretcher.
Human rights activists have condemned the alleged torture of the suspects by Russian security forces.
“The answer to barbarism must not be barbarism,” said the Russian rights group “Komanda protiw pytok” (Team against Torture) on Monday. “We have always said and will always say that the value of evidence obtained by security forces through torture is critically low. Instead of telling the truth, a person usually tells what can stop or at least interrupt this torture.”
Intelligence services from the United States and other Western countries at the beginning of March warned of a potential imminent terror attack in Moscow. However, Putin dismissed the warnings as a Western provocation.