How the worst attack on Russian soil in years unfolded

The Crocus City Hall auditorium was three-quarters full, and the crowd was hoping to see Picnic, a band popular since the Soviet era of the early 1980s. The concert sold out the 6,200-seat venue, so perhaps some of the public were still buying food or leaving their heavy coats in the cloakroom.

There were about 7 to 10 minutes left before the show was scheduled to start at 8 p.m., said attendee Dave Primov. Then came the sounds of clicking. “At first I thought: fireworks or something like that.”Primov told The Associated Press. “I looked at my friend and he also said, ‘Fireworks, probably.’”

But it wasn’t pyrotechnics. At least four men wearing khaki camouflage uniforms and carrying automatic weapons were in the building and were shooting incessantly. Then they set fire to the concert hall.

It was the start of the deadliest attack in years on Russian soil, leaving 137 dead and more than 180 injured in what President Vladimir Putin called “a barbaric and bloody terrorist act.” Although it attempted to link Ukraine to the attack, an affiliate of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility, which was confirmed by US intelligence officials. kyiv denied any involvement.

Four suspects were arrested in Russia’s Bryansk region. Identified in Russian media as Tajiks — citizens of Tajikistan — they were accused of carrying out a terrorist act and face life in prison. They appeared in a Moscow court on Sunday night with signs of severe beatings.

Friday night

The Crocus City Hall is a huge shopping and entertainment complex in Krasnogorsk, a suburb on the northwestern edge of Moscow. It was built by Azerbaijani-born billionaire and real estate developer Aras Agalarov, who had ties to Donald Trump before he became US president. When Trump was co-owner of the Miss Universe beauty pageant, he signed a deal with Agalarov to hold the event at the Crocus in 2013.

On Friday night, its vast halls became a scene of carnage as gunmen entered, moved into the auditorium and shot anyone nearby, sometimes at point-blank range.

Videos recorded by those in the hallways and auditorium showed people screaming and trying to flee as the gunmen continued shooting. Some hid behind dark red seats and tried to crawl toward the exits, according to images and survivor accounts reported in the media.

In a video, a young man says to the camera, while shots are heard: “They set fire to the auditorium. “The auditorium is on fire.” For a moment you can see the flames in a corner of the theater.

Primov and others were able to leave the auditorium before the shooters reached it, he told the AP. It took him about 25 minutes to leave the building. He described the scene as total chaos: people, in a panic, were trying to find exits, while gunmen were still wandering there and shooting; People fell and collided with each other as they ran. The men broke down locked doors in the hope that they would lead to safety.

“We don’t know what’s ahead. We don’t know what’s behind this door. “We don’t know what is happening outside, maybe we are surrounded (by the attackers), maybe someone is waiting there.”Primov said.

Another survivor, who identified herself only as Maria, echoed Primov: “This uncertainty — where to go, what to do — was what scared us the most, since every person there had no idea what was happening.”

Picnic’s musicians never took the stage and left the building shortly after the attack began, their manager Yury Chernyshevsky told the AP by phone shortly after news of the shooting broke. When asked if the band was safe, he replied: “How much security can there be right now? We hope to be safe.”

At 8:30 pm, a massive fire broke out inside the building, with thick black smoke billowing from the roof which then collapsed. Russian media reported explosions inside, and it was unclear whether they were set off by the gunmen or caused by the fire.

Outside, the building was bathed in neon blue by the flashing lights of dozens of ambulances, patrol cars and fire trucks. Helicopters dropped water on the flames.

A special force of the Russian National Guard arrived and searched for the shooters. Authorities announced that the attack caused deaths and injuries, without giving figures, and said they were investigating it as a terrorist act.

Several officials—from Moscow Regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov to Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev—arrived at the scene.

Elsewhere in Russia, authorities tightened security and canceled mass events scheduled for the weekend. In St. Petersburg, the second largest city, two shopping centers were evacuated according to media reports. Putin did not comment late Friday.

Around 11 p.m., the Kremlin issued a terse statement saying that Putin was informed “a few minutes later” of the shooting, was “constantly receiving” updates from government agencies and issued the necessary orders, according to spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who did not elaborate.

Saturday

The death toll rose overnight and throughout Saturday as more bodies were discovered at Crocus City Hall, including some found on stairs and in a bathroom.

Putin, who on March 17 won a fifth term in an election without any real competition, did not address the nation until Saturday afternoon, more than 19 hours after news of the attack broke.

Throughout the night, in Russia and abroad, there was discussion about who was responsible for the daring aggression. Authorities in Ukraine, invaded by Russia more than two years ago, quickly and vehemently denied any involvement. The denials were quickly backed up by US officials, prompting a strong reaction from Russian officials.

“Why do Washington officials, in the midst of a tragedy, jump to conclusions about someone’s lack of complicity?”Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said in an online statement. “If the United States has or had reliable information in this regard, it should immediately transmit it to the Russian side. If not, then the White House has no right to grant acquittal.”

Several hours after the attack began, an affiliate of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility, but some Russian state media figures denounced it as misleading.

“So far, it seems like an attempt to create a red herring,” Andrei Medvedev, a state television journalist, wrote on Telegram.

On Saturday, Russian authorities attempted to link Ukraine to the attack. The Federal Security Service (FSB) reported the arrest of four armed shooters in the Bryansk border region, saying they were heading to Ukraine and had “contacts on the Ukrainian side” not specified. He did not reveal any details of the manhunt, but praised various police and security agencies for “acting in coordination” and added that 11 people in total were arrested.

In his afternoon speech, Putin called the attack “a barbaric and bloody terrorist act.”

He also reiterated the narrative and said, without evidence, that he had prepared “A window” for the aggressors to cross into Ukraine. However, he stopped short of blaming kyiv for orchestrating the attack. He did not mention the Islamic State affiliate’s claim of responsibility.

He also stopped short of announcing drastic measures after the attack, such as lifting a moratorium on capital punishment, launching another wave of army mobilization or even an escalation of hostilities in Ukraine, something that Kremlin critics consider possible.

Moscow’s Health Department said identifying the bodies of the dead will take at least two weeks.

Sunday

Sunday was declared a day of national mourning. Events were canceled and flags were flown at half-mast. At the burned-out and smoking Crocus City Hall, a steady stream of people came to lay flowers at a makeshift memorial site.

Throughout the day, a heavy police presence was seen at the Basmanny district court in Moscow ahead of the expected arrival of the four suspects. The Russian Investigative Committee published photographs of them at its headquarters in Moscow.

Shortly before 11 p.m. — about 51 hours after the shooting began — the suspects, one by one, appeared in court for their pretrial hearings.

Bruises were visible on their faces; one had a bandaged ear and another was in a wheelchair and a hospital gown. According to the independent media outlet Mediazona, whose reporters attended the hearings, he was removed from the intensive care unit.

It was not immediately clear how he was injured. Unconfirmed reports from Russian media suggested it was during the chase. The court said two of the suspects admitted their guilt, although the men’s conditions raised questions about whether they did so freely.

The suspects, identified in Russian media as Tajik citizens, were charged with carrying out a terrorist act and face life in prison.

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