The latest development of the shooting incident in the concert hall in the suburbs of Moscow has come.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the Russian investigation commission issued a statement in the early morning of 23rd, saying that according to preliminary statistics, the terrorist attack in the concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow on 22nd night killed more than 60 people, and the number of victims may rise further. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the shooting and explosion a "bloody terrorist attack". The Russian Federal Security Service said that law enforcement agencies are taking all necessary measures to conduct a criminal investigation on the shooting incident in the concert hall according to the "terrorist act" clause. In addition, Moscow airports have raised their security alert levels.
At 10 o’clock on the 23rd, Beijing time, the staff of the Consular Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the Chinese Embassy in China said that no report on the casualties of Russian citizens had been received yet, and the Embassy was continuously tracking the incident.
According to the latest news from the World Wide Web, John Kirby, strategic communication coordinator of the White House National Security Council, said when asked about this matter that he didn’t think that the warning issued by the State Council was referring to this specific attack.
On March 22nd, local time, Podolyak, adviser to the President’s Office of Ukraine, and Cernjak, the main military intelligence official of Ukraine’s Ministry of National Defense, said successively that Ukraine had nothing to do with the shooting incident in a concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow.
Putin’s latest instructions
According to a report by RIA Novosti on the 22nd local time, Russian Presidential Press Secretary peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had given all necessary instructions on the attack on a concert hall in the suburbs of Moscow.
Peskov also said that within minutes after the incident, Putin knew about the terrorist attack and kept abreast of the latest information.
According to CCTV news reports, it is reported that Putin will deliver a televised speech, but the exact time is still unclear.
"The suspect fled the scene by car"
According to a report by RIA Novosti on the 23rd, the photos held by the media showed that the suspect of this terrorist attack fled the scene in a white car.
Law enforcement officers are searching for a white car, which may have been used by the gunman in the concert hall. It is reported that after the attack, four of them ran out of the concert hall, put on clothes prepared in advance and fled the scene.
The gunmen were several unidentified people dressed in camouflage uniforms, and they also threw grenades or incendiary bombs, causing a fire. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said that the fire department is carrying out rescue for the trapped people.
A number of investigators searched for terrorist tools to investigate the evidence. Investigators collected physical evidence including guns, ammunition and other weapons at the scene. At present, investigators are collecting genes and fingerprints on the spot and conducting ballistic tests.
According to @CCTV International News, the Russian News Agency quoted the Russian Federation Investigation Committee as saying that the terrorists used Kalashnikov assault rifles in the terrorist attack on the Moscow State Concert Hall.
Sputnik news agency & radio, RIA Novosti and other media reported on 23rd that Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) made a statement condemning the terrorist attack.
According to RIA Novosti, Hamas posted on social platforms that the organization strongly condemned this terrorist attack against civilians. The report said that Hamas also expressed condolences to the Russian leadership, the people and the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
White house response
According to the transcript of the press conference published on the website of the White House, after the Russian terrorist attack on 22nd, John Kirby, the strategic communication coordinator of the National Security Council of the White House, said when asked about this matter that he didn’t think that the warning issued by the State Council was referring to this specific attack.
According to the website of the White House, the reporter asked Kirby, in view of the warning issued by the US Embassy in advance, did the United States know about the attack in Moscow in advance? Kirby replied that he had no more information about it. When asked by reporters, he added that the State Council would answer this question, but he did not think that the warning issued by the State Council was referring to this specific attack.
On March 7, local time, the US Embassy in Russia issued a warning that it was detected that "extremists" were plotting to launch an attack in Moscow, the Russian capital, in the next few days. The warning message of the US even mentioned the concert.
"The (US) Embassy is monitoring the news that extremists plan to launch attacks on large gatherings (including concerts) in Moscow, and it is recommended that American citizens avoid participating in large gatherings in the next 48 hours." The US Embassy in Russia wrote and reminded American citizens to "avoid crowds, pay attention to local media news and pay attention to the surrounding environment".
According to The New York Times, on March 22nd, local time, an American anti-terrorism official confirmed that the extremist organization "Islamic State" was responsible for the terrorist attack that took place in the concert hall of "Rokus City" on the outskirts of Moscow that day. The official said that members of the extremist organization "Islamic State" have been active in Russia, and the United States collected intelligence earlier in March that the branch of the organization "Islamic State khorasan province" was planning to attack Moscow.
Urban vigilance has been comprehensively improved.
At 3: 00 am local time on 23rd, a reporter from CCTV saw in the parking lot of the concert hall where a shooting incident occurred in Moscow, Russia, that the number of on-site rescue vehicles had been reduced, and the possibility of further increase in the death toll could not be ruled out.
Previously, members of the Russian National Guard were unable to stay for a long time due to the influence of thick smoke when entering the concert hall for search and rescue.
After the terrorist attacks, the Russian Ministry of Transport announced that it would strengthen the security inspection of airports and railway stations to remind passengers going to airports or railway stations to travel in advance. Russia’s Vnukovo airport, which is relatively close to the incident, announced the strengthening of security work. The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation announced that all public and recreational activities of federal cultural institutions have been cancelled in the next few days. Sobyanin, mayor of Moscow, announced on the evening of 22nd local time that all cultural, sports and other public activities held in Moscow on weekends would be cancelled.
Survivors tell the moment of shock.
Some survivors of the attack told the media about the shocking moment when the attack occurred.
According to RIA Novosti, the roof of the building collapsed. Previously, trapped people were waiting for rescue on the roof. Russian rescuers evacuated about 100 people from the basement of the burning building.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Zacharova said that the international community must condemn this inhuman crime. Zacharova also said that if the United States "has and currently has reliable information about this attack", it should immediately hand it over to Russia. The US Embassy in Russia announced on its website on the night of the 7th of this month that "Russia will face a terrorist threat in the next 48 hours, and extremists plan to attack large crowd gathering places in Moscow, including concert halls".
The UN Security Council issued a statement
On March 22, local time, the UN Security Council issued a statement strongly condemning the terrorist attack that took place in a concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia.
The statement said that this was a "heinous cowardly terrorist attack." Members of the Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and the Russian people, and wished the injured a full recovery at an early date.
Members of the Council reiterated that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.
The statement stressed that the perpetrators, organizers, funders and supporters of these reprehensible terrorist acts should be held accountable and brought to justice. All countries are urged to actively cooperate with the Government of the Russian Federation and all other relevant authorities in this regard in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions.
The Security Council reaffirms that any terrorist act is a crime and cannot be excused, regardless of its motive, when and where it occurs and by whom. All countries must take all means to combat the threat to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts in accordance with their obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and international law.
Editor: Gui Yanmin
Proofreading: Wang Chaoquan
