Law enforcement officers stand guard near the Crocus City Hall concert venue following a reported shooting incident, near Moscow, Russia. Several gunmen in combat fatigues burst into a concert hall on March 22 and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people.
Maksim Blinov / Sputnik via AP
Russia’s Federal Security Service said 40 people died and more than 100 were wounded in an attack Friday at a Moscow concert hall.
The attack, which Russian authorities are investigating as terrorism, is the deadliest in Russia in recent years.
Several gunmen burst into the concert hall on the edge of Moscow and sprayed visitors with automatic gunfire, killing and wounding dozens and starting a massive blaze. Russian media reported that the venue’s roof was collapsing.
The attack comes days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide.
An injured woman is transported to an ambulance near the Crocus City Hall concert venue following a reported shooting incident, near Moscow, Russia. Several gunmen in combat fatigues burst into a concert hall on March 22 and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people.
Maksim Blinov / Sputnik via AP
The attack took place as crowds gathered for a concert of Picnic, a famed Russian rock band, at the hall that can accommodate over 6,000 people. Russian news reports said that visitors were being evacuated, but some said that an unspecified number of people could have been trapped by the blaze.
The prosecutor’s office said several men in combat fatigues entered the concert hall and fired at visitors.
Extended rounds of gunfire could be heard on multiple videos posted by Russian media and Telegram channels. One showed two men with rifles moving through the mall. Another one showed a man inside the auditorium, saying the assailants set it on fire, as gunshots rang out incessantly in the background.
More videos showed up to four attackers, armed with assault rifles and wearing caps, who were shooting screaming people at point-blank range.
A view shows the burning Crocus City Hall concert hall following the shooting incident in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, on March 22, 2024. Gunmen opened fire at a concert hall in a Moscow suburb on March 22, 2024 leaving dead and wounded before a major fire spread through the building, Moscow’s mayor and Russian news agencies reported.
Stringer | AFP | Getty Images
Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the Moscow region, said he was heading to the area and set up a task force to deal with the damage.
Russian media reports said that riot police units were being sent to the area as people were being evacuated.
Russian authorities said security was tightened at Moscow’s airports and railway stations, while the Moscow mayor cancelled all mass gatherings scheduled for the weekend.
