US says it warned Russia of imminent 'extremist' attack weeks ago but Putin points finger at Ukraine despite ISIS claim
24 March 2024, 00:01
The United States has said it warned Russia about the possibility of an imminent 'extremist' attack weeks ago following a deadly attack on a Moscow convert venue Friday.
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The US embassy in Moscow issued the security alert on March 7, it said, warning that it was "monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts".
It also warned American ex-pats in Russia at the time on its website that an attack was expected within the next 48 hours.
The horrifying attack saw several assailants burst into a concert hall on the edge of Moscow. They sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing at least 133 people, injuring more than 100 others and setting fire to the venue in a brazen attack.
Friday night's attack was the deadliest in Russia since the Beslan school siege that saw more than 300 killed.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on affiliated channels on social media. This could not be independently verified, however, but IS has previously taken responsibility for attacks it has not committed.
The US issued its warning over a potential attack earlier this month hours after Russian FSB agents said it had prevented an attack on a Moscow synagogue. It said the attack was being planned by Islamic State.
Putin pointed the finger of blame at Ukraine, however, where Russia is waging a war that has dragged into its third year. He gave no evidence for his claims.
Russia is no stranger to mass attacks with high death tolls.
During the early 2000s and 2010s, a series of suicide bombings and attacks unfolded across Moscow, including the 2002 Nord Ost theatre siege, where 132 hostages and 40 Chechen hostage-takers died after a mishandled Russian rescue response.
Most of the attacks were carried out by Islamist separatists from the North Caucasus, but in recent years, they have largely stopped. The relative absence of such violence has lulled Russians into a sense of security, even while the country's army fights in Ukraine.
Ukraine has vehemently denied any link to the attack, but Putin said in his address that they were trying to cross the border into the country.
He said: "They tried to hide and moved towards Ukraine, where, according to preliminary data, a window was prepared for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the state border.
"Putin expressed his condolences for the families of the victims, and declared a day of mourning.
"Terrorists, killers can expect only one thing, they can expect punishment," he said.
Expert: Putin has been 'humiliated' by Moscow attack
Following the attack, shocked Russians took flowers and teddy bears on Saturday to the Crocus City concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow, to pay their respects to more than 100 people who died in a grisly attack claimed by the so-called Islamic State group.
Mourners hung flowers on fences and piled them on the ground a short distance from the concert hall where gunmen opened fire on a crowd and set off explosives that started a huge fire.
Amid the grief, firefighters pulled bodies from the rubble and worked to put out the flames.
Videos on social media showed candles and flowers being laid in memory of the dead and wounded at monuments across Russia and at Russian embassies abroad.
The attack happened just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on power by securing a record-breaking fifth term after harshly suppressing opposition voices during a highly choreographed election.
The attack was the deadliest in Russia in years and left the concert hall a ruin.
The assault shattered nerves in Moscow and recalled memories of similar attacks that happened in the early years of Mr Putin's presidency.
