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Four suspects in the Crocus City Hall attack — which left at least 137 people dead in Moscow — have been charged with committing a terrorist act. They are facing possible life imprisonment.
The suspects, who have been identified, will be held in preventive custody until at least May 22. Three of the defendants pled guilty to all charges, according to state news agency TASS.
The Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, has claimed the attack and released graphic footage purporting to show the incident. The footage is significant as it suggests the perpetrators had a direct link to ISIS to be able to send the video.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said the main suspects arrested planned to flee into Ukraine. Ukraine has denied any connection. The UK warned that Russia was creating a “smokescreen of propaganda.”
Kremlin spokesperson refuses to answer questions about whether concert hall attack was an intelligence failure
From CNN’s Anna Chernova
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has sidestepped questions about whether Friday’s terror attack in Moscow constitutes a failure by Russia’s intelligence services.
On a call with journalists Monday, Peskov was asked whether the attack was “a failure of the intelligence services?”
Peskov responded: “There is currently a lot of emotional, hysterical, provocative content online. Clearly, this monstrous tragedy evokes a lot of emotions, but unfortunately, our world shows that not a single city or country can be completely immune to the threat of terrorism.”
“The intelligence services work tirelessly. They are dealing with all the threats, all the challenges that our country faces,” he said.
Peskov also said the fight against terrorism required “full-fledged international cooperation” but suggested that cooperation was not happening. He refused to comment on whether any warnings had been received from the United States about the risk of terror attacks in Russia.
CNN reported Friday that there had been a steady stream of intelligence that ISIS-Khorasan was determined to attack in Russia, according to two sources familiar with the intelligence.
“Intelligence is never provided to the Kremlin. It is provided through channels from one intelligence agency to another intelligence agency. This is classified as sensitive information that is not disclosed,” Peskov said.
In response to a question asking if there was any help provided from Western countries in view of the warnings, Peskov said: “Our [special] services operate independently. There is no talk of any help now,” later adding “there are currently no contacts with Westerners now.”
Kremlin offers no comment on reports that Moscow attack suspects may have been tortured
Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, a suspect in the shooting attack at the Crocus City Hall concert venue, appears behind a glass wall of an enclosure for defendants at the Basmanny district court in Moscow, Russia, on March 24. Yulia Morozova/Reuters
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has declined to comment on reports that the four men alleged to have carried out the attack at Moscow’s Crocus City concert hall had been tortured after being apprehended.
Peskov was asked by CNN:
“In the videos from the court, it is noticeable that the accused have visible signs of violence: bruises, a swollen face, a bandaged head covered in blood, one of them is in a wheelchair and with his eyes closed. Earlier, videos and photos emerged online suggesting torture. What happened to them and how can you comment on it?”
Peskov responded: “No, I leave this question unanswered.”
Suspect Muhammadsober Fayzov is pictured sitting in a medical transport chair during a hearing at the Basmanny district court in Moscow on March 25. Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters
He also refused to comment on the Islamic State (ISIS) group’s claim that it carried out the attack.
During a call with journalists Monday, Peskov was asked: “How can you explain the fact that ISIS was not mentioned by the officials among the versions of this terrorist attack?”
He responded: “The investigation is ongoing. So far, no coherent version has been voiced; only preliminary data has been discussed. No versions have been put forward yet.”
Regarding the claim of responsibility, which was made via the ISIS-affiliated Amaq news agency on Saturday, Peskov said:
“An investigation is underway. I repeat once again, here we need to wait for information from our official law enforcement agencies that are dealing with this matter.”
Neither President Vladimir Putin nor other senior Russian officials have referred to the claim by ISIS, which included releasing a video of the attack taken by one of the perpetrators.
All four suspects in the Crocus City concert hall attack case have been remanded into pre-trial detention until May 22.
They are charged with committing a terrorist act, according to the courts of general jurisdiction of the city of Moscow, which under the Russian Criminal Code is punishable by up to life imprisonment.
Three of the defendants pled guilty to all charges, according to state media news agency TASS.
All four are from Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic, and had been in Russia on either temporary or expired visas.
Friday’s attack killed at least 137 people. The attack is Russia’s deadliest in two decades.
Authorities work to identify victims: Procedures to identify those killed in the attack have begun, the city’s Department of Health said, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. The Russian Investigative Committee said 62 bodies had been identified so far, adding that “for the remaining victims, genetic examinations are being carried out to establish their identities.”
Fighting terrorism in Syria and Turkey: Putin held separate calls with his Turkish and Syrian counterparts, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bashar al-Assad, on Saturday and promised closer cooperation in fighting terrorism following the attack, according to a Kremlin readout.
Russian Embassy says no warnings from US: The Russian Embassy in Washington says it did not receive any warnings about a potential attack in Moscow from the US. Last week, Putin dismissed warnings by the US embassy in Russia that there could be attacks on large groups.
Putin links attack to Ukraine: Putin said the main suspects arrested planned to flee into Ukraine. Ukraine has denied any connection. The UK warned that Russia was creating a “smokescreen of propaganda.”
Terror alert: France has lifted its terror alert to its highest level following the deadly attack in Moscow, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said Sunday.
Each of the four defendants charged with committing a terrorist act in the Crocus City concert hall attack was brought to court individually in Moscow on Sunday.
They are accused of committing a crime under part 3, provision “b” of article 205 of the Russian Criminal Code (terrorist act), which the Russian Criminal Code states is punishable with up to life imprisonment.
Three pled guilty to all charges, according to state media news agency TASS.
Here’s what we know about the accused:
Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev: The 32-year-old was the first defendant brought to court. Mirzoyev, from Tajikistan, had a temporary registration for three months in the southern Russian city of Novosibirsk in Siberia, but it expired, according to RIA Novosti.
Saidakrami Rachabalizoda: He appeared as the second defendant, and told the the court that he had Russian registration documents but couldn’t remember where they were. He communicated through an interpreter, according to state media RIA Novosti. Rachabalizoda was reportedly born in 1994.
Shamsidin Fariduni: He was born in 1998 in Tajikistan and is a citizen of the Central Asian country. Fariduni was officially employed at a factory in the Russian city of Podolsk and was registered in the city of Krasnogorsk, according to state media RIA Novosti.
Muhammadsober Faizov: The fourth defendant appeared nonresponsive in a wheelchair and was accompanied by a doctor to his court appearance, as seen in Moscow City Court’s video shared on Telegram. Faizov was temporarily unemployed, before which he worked in a barber shop in Ivanovo, a city northeast of Moscow, and is registered in that city, according to state media RIA Novosti. He was reportedly born in 2004.
5:48 a.m. ET, March 25, 2024
Moscow court orders preventive detention for all four defendants in concert hall attack case
From CNN’s Masha Angelova and Josh Pennington
Saidakrami Murodali Rachabalizoda, a suspect in the shooting attack at the Crocus City Hall concert venue, is escorted following a court hearing at the Basmanny district court in Moscow, Russia, on March 24. Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters
The Basmanny District Court of Moscow on Sunday granted the investigators’ motion for detention, as the chosen preventative measure, for all four defendants in the Crocus City Hall attack case.
All four men have been remanded into pre-trial detention until May 22, Moscow City Court said on Telegram.
They are all charged with committing a terrorist act, according to the courts of general jurisdiction of the city of Moscow, which under the Russian Criminal Code is punishable up to life imprisonment.
Each of the four defendants was brought to court individually on Sunday.
Three pled guilty to all charges, according to state media news agency TASS.
The names of the four accused in the case are Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, Shamsidin Fariduni and Mukhammadsobir Faizov, Moscow City Courts announced via Telegram.
All four are from Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic, and have been in Russia on either temporary or expired visas.
The court held closed hearings for each of the accused with no members of the public allowed, TASS reported, citing the court’s press service.
– CNN
