Putin repeats Islamist, Ukraine link with Moscow concert attack

Russian President Vladimir Putin has now said that the radical Islamists carried out the Crocus City concert hall attack, however, he reasserted his claims that Ukraine is likely to have been involved in the shootout, which left 139 dead.

While addressing the nation on Telegram, Putin said, "We know that the crime was carried out by the hand of radical Islamists with an ideology that the Muslim world has fought for centuries. The question that arises is who benefits from this?"

“We are interested in who ordered it,” the Russian president said, further stating that the shooting is likely to be a part of the campaign of intimidation by Ukraine.

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“This atrocity may be just one part in a whole series of attempts by those who have been at war with our country since 2014 at the hands of the neo-Nazi Kyiv regime," Putin said.

"We know by whose hand the crime against Russia and its people was committed. But what is of interest to us is who ordered it," he added.

Also Read:Russia questions US assertions about Islamic State orchestrating Moscow attack

Putin, however, did not name ISIS which claimed responsibility for the dastardly attack.

'Who benefits from this?' Putin hints at Ukraine's role in attack

While addressing the country on Telegram, the Russian president hinted at Ukraine's role in the attack to "show their own population that not all is lost for the Kyiv regime".

He added that the Russian security officials nabbed the attackers while they were trying to escape to Ukraine. "The question that arises is who benefits from this?" said Putin.

Speaking about the statements by the US which indicated that Ukraine was involved in the attack, Putin said, “The US is trying to convince everyone that there is no Kyiv trace.”

He then repeated his earlier assertion that the attackers had planned to run away to Ukraine before they were arrested.“Who was waiting for them there?” Putin quizzed.

However, Kyiv denied playing any role in the attack and accused Russia of falsely blaming them to further escalate the fighting in Ukraine.

Watch:Moscow Attack: Islamist Terror From Former Soviet States Haunts Russia

On Saturday (Mar 23), Putin said that Ukraine had helped the attackers and planned to “open a window” for the gunmen to escape.

However, US intelligence services warned that IS cells active in Russia were making plans to target concert venues. Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that Russia’s security services did not take any help from the West.

“No, our security services are working on their own, no assistance is currently on the table,” he said while speaking to journalists.

(With inputs from agencies)

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