Moscow concert hall attack: death toll rises to 133 as Russia arrests 11 including ‘4 terrorists’

FSB says the service is working to identify the attackers’ accomplices in its update to President Vladimir Putin

More than 100 people were also injured after gunmen opened fire at a concert by the Piknik rock band in Crocus City Hall

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Smoke from fire rises above the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following a shooting outside Moscow on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 2:13am, 23 Mar 2024Updated: 9:19am, 24 Mar 2024

Russia has arrested 11 people including four suspected gunmen in connection with a shooting massacre that killed 133 people in a concert hall near Moscow.

The Kremlin said on Saturday that FSB security service chief Alexander Bortnikov had reported to President Vladimir Putin that those detained included “four terrorists” and that the service was working to identify their accomplices. The latest death toll was reported by Russia’s Investigative Committee.

Attackers dressed in camouflage uniforms entered the building, opened fire and threw a grenade or incendiary bomb on Friday, with the Islamic State group claiming responsibility. The attack also wounded more than 100 people.

Fire quickly spread through the Crocus City concert hall in Moscow’s northern Krasnogorsk suburb, as smoke filled the building and screaming visitors rushed to emergency exits.

Alexei, a music producer, was about to settle into his seat before the start of a rock concert when he heard gunfire and “a lot of screams”.

“I realised right away that it was automatic gunfire and understood that most likely it’s the worst: a terrorist attack,” said Alexei, who would not give his last name.

As people ran towards emergency exits, “there was a terrible crush” with concertgoers climbing on one another’s heads to get out, he added.