ISIL has claimed responsibility for a brazen attack on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall that killed at least 40 people and injured more than 145.
At least five camouflage-clad gunmen with automatic weapons burst into the packed concert hall in the city’s western suburbs on Friday night as the audience was gathering to watch the veteran rock band Picnic, shooting into the crowd and setting off explosives that started a massive fire.
ISIL, the hardline group that once sought control over Iraq and Syria, claimed responsibility for the attack on its Telegram channel, saying the gunmen had escaped. It was not possible to independently verify the claim.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said at least 40 people had been killed, while a regional ministry said 145 had been injured. Five children were reported to be among the 115 people taken to hospital.
The concert hall, one of the most popular in Moscow, can hold some 6,200 people.
Alexei, a music producer, was about to settle into his seat ahead when he said he heard “several machine gun bursts” 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,” Alexei told the AFP news agency, declining to share his full name.
As people ran towards the emergency exits, “there was a terrible crush” with concert goers climbing on one another’s heads to get out, he added.
Another witness, speaking to the Reuters news agency, also described the terror and panic inside the venue.
