Russia is observing a day of national mourning today after the massacre at a Moscow concert hall, the deadliest attack on Russian soil in two decades, claimed by the Islamic State group.

“The whole country mourns mtogether with those who lost loved ones in this inhumane tragedy,” Russian public broadcaster Rossia 24 reported this morning.

This showed footage of a huge digital panel mounted on a wall of the attacked concert hall, which shows a candle against a black background and reads: “Crocus City Hall. 22/03/2024. We mourn…”.

Gunmen in camouflage uniforms stormed the Crocus City Hall concert hall on Friday night and began firing indiscriminately into the crowd with automatic weapons and threw incendiary material, setting the venue on fire, authorities said, in an attack that killed at least 133 people.

Denouncing a “barbaric terrorist” act, Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged yesterday in his televised address that the guilty be punished. The four “foreign citizens” were arrested in the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine and Belarus, according to Russian authorities.

The attack, which took place at the concert hall in Krasnogorsk, northwest of the Russian capital, is the deadliest in Russia in nearly two decades and the bloodiest claimed by Islamic State. State (ISIS), in Europe.

The death toll stood at 133 this morning and the injured in 152, according to the Russian Ministry of Emergencies.

Searches in the wreckage of the building, which was gutted by flames and partially roofed, are continuing and will take days, authorities said, raising fears of a heavier toll.

Islamic State, which Russia is fighting in Syria and which is also active in the Russian Caucasus, has carried out other attacks in the country since the late 2010s. However, the jihadist group has never claimed responsibility for such an attack there. size.

In one of its Telegram accounts, the Islamic State announced as early as Friday night that the attack was carried out by four of its members and that it was carried out “in the context (…) of the war that is raging” against the organization and “the countries that are fighting Islam”.

Cruel video from ISIS

Islamic State has released a 1 minute 31 second video, believed to be authentic, showing shocking images of the moment the gunmen opened fire indiscriminately. At the same time, they also published a photo of the gunmen who participated in the attack.

The video shows one of the Kalashnikov brand assault rifles, with a handle on its upper part, which has a characteristic fluorescent color and is present in the documents.

“We want to help”

The FSB said the suspects had “appropriate contacts on the Ukrainian side” and intended to flee to that country, without releasing further details on the nature of those contacts or evidence of their existence.

“Ukraine has nothing to do with the incident,” reiterated the adviser to the Ukrainian presidency Michael Podoliakrejecting these “absurd” accusations, as he described them.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said yesterday that he hoped this attack would not become a “pretext” for an “escalation of violence” in a clear allusion to Ukraine.

Despite the Islamic State’s claim of responsibility, there are unanswered questions.

According to Russian media and MP Alexander Kinstein, some of the suspects are from Tajikistan. The authorities of this country stated that they “have not received confirmation from the Russian authorities” on this matter.

Throughout the day yesterday, dozens of shocked Russians flocked to blood donation centers in Moscow or to makeshift memorials set up in memory of those killed in the attack.

“When you see this situation you don’t want to stay away, you want to help,” Vladislav, an 18-year-old student who was queuing to donate blood, told AFP.

On many billboards and at bus stops in Moscow, there were posters, which read: “We mourn 22/03/2024”.

Moscow’s museums and theaters announced they would be closed over the weekend because of the attack.

And cinemas were closed yesterday and today, with their managers expressing their “condolences” to the families of the victims.