Camouflaged attackers entered the building, opened fire, and tossed a grenade or incendiary device, according to RIA Novosti correspondent at the site.
The incident, which is being investigated by Russian police as a possible act of terrorism, is the worst strike that has occurred in Russia in recent years.
Authorities said gunmen opened fire at a rock event in a Moscow suburb Friday, killing at least 40, wounded 100, and starting a theater fire.
According to RIA Novosti reporters at the site, camouflaged attackers entered the building, opened fire, and dropped a grenade or incendiary device.
The Crocus City music venue in Krasnogorsk, north of Moscow, which can house several thousand people and has hosted major international acts, caught fire immediately.
The FSB security service, which was reported by Interfax and other Russian media, said, “Based on early information, 40 people were killed and more than 100 were injured in a terrorist attack in the Crocus City Hall.”
The police said they were looking into a “terrorist” attack, and Dmitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, told Russian news agencies that Putin was getting “constant” reports on the attack.
The news feeds Baza and Mash on Telegram, which are close to the police, showed videos of fires and black smoke coming from the hall.
In other photos, there was at least one person still on the ground close to the entryway as two guys moved along the hallway. Additionally, concertgoers were seen attempting to flee or hide beneath chairs.
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin canceled all public activities for the weekend, citing a “terrible tragedy” during the Russian rock band Piknik’s performance.
Security services told the Interfax news agency that two to five people “wearing tactical uniforms and carrying automatic weapons” opened fire on guards at the door and then at the crowd.
A period of fifteen to twenty minutes was spent with those who were in the hall being brought to the ground in order to shield themselves from the firing.
Terrible Crime
The emergency services ministry said on Telegram that 100 people fled via the theater basement and others hid on the roof.
One third of the facility was on fire, TASS said.
Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova called it a “bloody terrorist attack”.
“The world must condemn this odious crime,” she told Telegram.
The US president termed the incident “terrible” but denied a connection to the Ukraine war.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said on Telegram that Ukraine’s senior leaders “must be found and ruthlessly destroyed as terrorists” if they were involved.
The head of the Orthodox church, Patriarch Kirill, was “praying for peace for the souls of the dead,” according to Vladimir Legoyda, who serves as his spokesperson.
Warning issued in the Past:
In the past, Islamist organizations have carried out assaults against Moscow and other cities in Russia; nevertheless, there have also been occurrences that have occurred without any obvious political motivation.
A warning was sent by the United States Embassy in Russia earlier this month, stating that “extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow,” which includes concerts.
A theater in Moscow known as the Dobrovka was the location where Chechen separatist gunmen held 912 people captive in 2002. They demanded that Russian soldiers depart from the area.
The Russian Federation began its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, and since then, it has been the subject of strikes along the border by groups that are opposed to the Kremlin.
In response to the music hall assault, both the Ukrainian president and the Freedom of Russia Legion, whose members are members of the Ukrainian military forces, have denied any involvement in the incident.