Moscow terror: Russian officials claim concert hall attackers had ‘contacts in Ukraine’

Russia's FSB security service claimed on Saturday (Mar 23), as reported by state news agencies, that the perpetrators of a deadly attack on a Moscow concert hall had "contacts" in Ukraine and were attempting to escape there.

"After committing the terrorist attack, the criminals intended to cross the Russian-Ukrainian border, and had appropriate contacts on the Ukrainian side," the state-run TASS news agency quoted the FSB as saying, after it announced 11 arrests over the attack.

Russian authorities stated that "terrorists" set fire to the concert hall using a "flammable liquid" after a shooting incident that claimed the lives of over 90 people.

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"The terrorists used a flammable liquid to set fire to the concert hall premises where there were spectators, including wounded,"Russia's Investigative Committee said.

As per reports from the state news agency Tass on Saturday (Mar 23), Russia has arrested11 peoplelinked to the assault on a Moscow concert hall that resulted in the deaths of 115 people and left over 140 others wounded. This information was relayed to President Vladimir Putin by the head of Russia's Federal Security Service.

The Investigative Committee, as cited by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, confirmed the death toll at 115 individuals. The Investigative Committee further disclosed via its Telegram channel that additional bodies were discovered amidst the debris at the Crocus City Hall concert venue, bringing the total fatalities to 115.

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The Kremlin communicated that FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov briefed President Putin on the apprehension of the terrorists involved in the Crocus City Hall attack. The presidential press service specified that all four terrorists directly engaged in the terrorist act were among those detained.

The incident occurred on Friday (Mar 22) when gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons at attendees of a concert by the Picnic group at Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, near the capital. The Islamic State (ISIS) asserted responsibility for the assault through a statement disseminated on affiliated social media channels.

(With inputs from agencies)