Islamist attack: Terror in Moscow with over 140 dead – process begins

Over a year ago, Islamist terrorists set up a bloodbath in a busy Moscow concert hall, more than 140 people died – now a criminal trial against the 4 suspected assassins and 15 alleged accomplices began in the Russian metropolis.

A military court chamber moved to the large courthouse of the Moscow city court for the mammoth process. The accused followed the events of glass cages. After a short public start, the negotiation was declared closed at the request of the indictment representatives, as the state Russian news agency reported TASS.

Shots on concert goers

More than a year ago on March 22, 2024, four armed men had entered the Crocus City Hall concert hall in Krasnogorsk on the Moscow outskirts. They shot visitors to a concert by the Russian rock group Piknik and set fire. Part of the building collapsed.

Different numbers are circulating in Russian media for the number of victims killed. TASS wrote, citing the Attorney General of 149 deaths and a missing person. The Interfax news agency also referred to the authority, but wrote of 147 deaths and 3 missing. More than 330 people were injured.

The attackers come from Tajikistan

The assassins, men from the Central Asian Republic of Tajikistan, fled in a car and were caught in the Russian area of Brjansk near the border with Ukraine and Belarus. Immediately afterwards, the Russian judiciary demonstrated it to the public, at least one man had traces of torture. The alleged accomplices also come from the former Soviet Central Asia. They are said to have provided the terrorists with money, cars or weapons or granted them to them. After six other presumably participants, including the alleged organizers, are still being searched for.

Russia has been shaken by Islamist terrorist attacks several times in the past decades. The terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) over its well -known channels claimed the attack on the Crocus City Hall. Western security authorities and experts consider the commitment to be credible and suspect the IS branch Islamic State Province of Khorasan (ISPK) behind the attack.

Russia pursues alleged Ukrainian trace

Moscow state representative up to President Vladimir Putin also assumes an IS attack. At the same time, the Russian authorities tried to push the guilt for alleged Ukrainian masterminds. Russia has been waging a war against the neighboring country for almost three and a half years. Standing evidence was not presented and the government in Kyiv has denied any participation.

According to Tass, the Russian Attorney General also remains organized for the process that the attack “in the interest of the top leadership of Ukraine” was organized. In Russia, three cells of the Islamic State of Khorasan’s Province of Islamic State were formed.

Half of the victims died of fire injuries

After reading the indictment, the four main perpetrators were guilty and showed remorse about their deed, as a lawyer of the co -plaintiffs, Ljudmila Ajwar reported from the courtroom. Some of the co -accusations would have admitted a partial debt, others had declared themselves innocent.

The Russian Attorney General had already given the state agency Tass insight into the indictment in the past few days. So about half of the dead should not have died by gunshot wounds, but of fire injuries. Many of the bereaved and injured therefore needed psychological help. The criminal trial was announced, but the beginning was kept secret until Sunday.