Crocus City Hall attack

Crocus City Hall attack
Part of Islamic State insurgency in the North Caucasus, terrorism in Russia and Islamic terrorism in Europe
Crocus City Hall auditorium after the attack
Location	Crocus City Hall, Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast, Russia
Coordinates	55°49′33″N 37°23′25″E / 55.82583°N 37.39028°E / 55.82583; 37.39028
Date	22 March 2024; 7 months ago (2024-03-22) 19:58–20:11[1] (MSK)
Attack type	Mass shooting massacre bombing arson slashing
Weapons	AK–style assault rifles pistols knives petrol bombs[2][3]
Deaths	145[a][5][6]
Injured	551[6][7]
Perpetrators	Islamic State – Khorasan Province
No. of participants	4 (per IS, and 4 suspected perpetrators brought to pre-trial hearing)[8][9]
Motive	Islamic extremism[2][10] Revenge for: Soviet–Afghan War First and Second Chechen War Russian intervention in the Syrian civil war Wagner Group activities in Africa[11][12][13]
Charges	Terrorism[14][15]

On 22 March 2024, a coordinated terrorist attack against civilians occurred at the Crocus City Hall music venue in Crocus City, Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast, Russia. The attack began at around 20:00 MSK (UTC+3), shortly before the Russian band Picnic was scheduled to play a sold-out show at the venue. Four terrorists associated with Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS–KP or ISIS-K) carried out a mass shooting, as well as slashing attacks^[3] on the people gathered at the venue, and used incendiary devices to set the venue on fire.^[16][17][18] Investigators said 145 people had been killed (including those who died later in hospital), and more than 551 concertgoers injured by gunfire or suffering from burns.^[19][20][18] On 28 March, Russian authorities also claimed that a further 95 people were missing.^[21]

IS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement through the IS-affiliated Amaq News Agency shortly after the attack, with its regional branch in the Afghanistan–Pakistan border region, Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS–KP or ISIS-K), most likely being responsible.^[22][23][17] Amaq also published a video filmed by one of the attackers. It showed the attackers shooting victims and slitting the throat of a victim, while the filming attacker was reciting the takbir, praising God and speaking against infidels.^[3][18]

Russia's Foreign Ministry called the incident a terrorist attack.^[24] Russian president Vladimir Putin called the attack a "barbaric terrorist act" and said that the gunmen had been arrested.^[25] He also declared 24 March 2024 to be a national day of mourning,^[16] and sought to link assailants to Ukraine, in what has been described as "very doubtful and primitive" disinformation.^[16][26] It was the deadliest terrorist attack on Russian soil since the Beslan school siege in 2004.^[27][28] Investigators detained 12 people in relation to the attack,^[29] including four suspects, who were charged with terrorism later on 24 March.^[30][14][15]

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