US bears some responsibility for Moscow concert attack, claims Russia
The United States bears some responsibility for the attack on a Moscow concert hall last month, which killed 144 people, claims Nikolai Patrushev, the head of Russia’s National Security Council.
Russia’s blatant verbal attack comes despite ISIS Khorasan, an affiliate of the Islamic State, has admitted to orchestrating the attack, while Ukraine has consistently denied any involvement..
The assault, which occurred on March 22 at Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, marked the deadliest attack in Russia in over 20 years. Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have consistently asserted, without presenting evidence, that Ukraine orchestrated the attack.
Speaking at a meeting in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)—a nine-country alliance focused on security and economic matters that includes China, India, and Iran—Patrushev stated, “They are trying to impose on us that the terrorist act was committed not by the Kyiv regime, but by supporters of radical Islamic ideology, perhaps members of the Afghan branch of IS.”
He continued, “However, it is much more important to quickly establish who is the customer and sponsor of this monstrous crime. Its traces lead to the Ukrainian special services. But everyone knows that the Kyiv regime is not independent and is completely controlled by the United States.”
Four suspects allegedly involved in the attack were apprehended the day following the incident in the Bryansk region, which shares a border with Ukraine. Putin and other Russian officials claim that the gunmen had planned to flee to Ukraine. Additionally, six other suspected accomplices have been detained.
Two weeks prior to the attack, the United States Embassy in Russia issued a warning to the Kremlin, sharing intelligence about potential terrorist attacks in Russia. The U.S. State Department confirmed that this information was passed on to Russian officials.
When questioned about a report from the Washington Post suggesting that U.S. officials had specifically identified Crocus City Hall as a potential target, Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, declined to comment during a conference call, stating it was a matter for security services.
Furthermore, the Russian prosecutor-general’s office has reportedly sent information requests to the U.S., Germany, France, and Cyprus regarding potential Western involvement in terrorist attacks on Russia, according to state news agency Tass.