NEW DELHI: The head of Russia’s national security council on Wednesday said that the United States bears responsibility for the recent attack on a Moscow concert hall, despite claims from a branch of the Islamic State group taking credit for the incident.
The attack at the Crocus City Hall on March 22 resulted in the death of 144, marking it as the deadliest attack on Russian soil in twenty years.
Russian officials, led by President Vladimir Putin, have continuously alleged, without presenting concrete evidence, that Ukraine orchestrated the attack. Ukraine, embroiled in a conflict with Russia for over two years, has consistently denied any involvement in the incident. Though an affiliate of the Islamic State claimed responsibility and Kyiv consistently denied it.
At a meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, of security councils from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), security council head Nikolai Patrushev said, “”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.” SCO is an economic bloc that includes China, India and Iran.
“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,” Patrushev added.
Following the attack, four suspected gunmen were apprehended in the Bryansk region, bordering Ukraine, with allegations suggesting they were attempting to flee into Ukraine and Six other suspected accomplices have also been arrested.
The attack came two weeks after the United States Embassy in Russia had issued a warning about possible terrorist threats on public places, sharing this information with Russian authorities. . The US State Department confirmed sharing information with Russian authorities beforehand.
However, Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday declined to comment on reports linking US officials to the targeting of Crocus City Hall in a conference call on a report in the Washington Post that US officials had specifically identified Crocus City Hall as a potential target, saying that was a matter for security services.
(With inputs from agencies)
The attack at the Crocus City Hall on March 22 resulted in the death of 144, marking it as the deadliest attack on Russian soil in twenty years.
Russian officials, led by President Vladimir Putin, have continuously alleged, without presenting concrete evidence, that Ukraine orchestrated the attack. Ukraine, embroiled in a conflict with Russia for over two years, has consistently denied any involvement in the incident. Though an affiliate of the Islamic State claimed responsibility and Kyiv consistently denied it.
At a meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, of security councils from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), security council head Nikolai Patrushev said, “”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.” SCO is an economic bloc that includes China, India and Iran.
“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,” Patrushev added.
Following the attack, four suspected gunmen were apprehended in the Bryansk region, bordering Ukraine, with allegations suggesting they were attempting to flee into Ukraine and Six other suspected accomplices have also been arrested.
The attack came two weeks after the United States Embassy in Russia had issued a warning about possible terrorist threats on public places, sharing this information with Russian authorities. . The US State Department confirmed sharing information with Russian authorities beforehand.
However, Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday declined to comment on reports linking US officials to the targeting of Crocus City Hall in a conference call on a report in the Washington Post that US officials had specifically identified Crocus City Hall as a potential target, saying that was a matter for security services.
(With inputs from agencies)