Three More Suspects Arrested on Suspicion of Involvement in Concert Hall Attack Near Moscow

The Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) announced on Thursday, April 5, that three more individuals have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in last month's terrorist attack on a concert hall in the Moscow suburbs. The Russian news agency Interfax reported, citing an FSB statement, that one Russian national and two citizens from Central Asian countries were arrested in Moscow, Yekaterinburg, and Omsk. The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack, but Russia alleges, without providing evidence, that Ukraine was behind it. Meanwhile, according to Russian news agencies, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, stated on Thursday that all evidence indicates that the 'main goal of the perpetrators of the terrorist attack on the Crocus concert hall was to harm our unity.' During the attack on March 23, armed men opened fire with machine guns on concertgoers in the Moscow suburbs, killing at least 144 people. The ISIS Khorasan group claimed responsibility for the attack, but Russian officials have pointed fingers at Ukraine and its Western supporters. Additionally, see: Macron rejected Russia's claim regarding Ukraine and France's involvement in the Moscow concert attack. In his speech on Thursday at the Congress of Independent Trade Unions of Russia, Putin did not mention Ukraine but had previously stated that Kyiv benefits from these attacks and that four armed men involved in the attack were fleeing towards the Ukrainian borders. He mentioned that during the arrest of the attackers in western Russia, someone there had opened a 'window' for their escape. Ukraine has denied its involvement in these attacks. The United States also stated that Moscow's attempts to blame Ukraine are propaganda and illogical, adding that it had warned about an imminent attack by Islamic militants in Moscow. According to Russian officials, 11 suspects, mostly from Tajikistan, are currently in pre-trial detention. The FSB stated that two of the detainees were involved in transferring money for the purchase of weapons and vehicles, while the third was directly involved in recruiting accomplices and financing the attackers. State media in Russia broadcast footage from the FSB showing the recent arrests of suspects in the street and their transfer into unmarked vehicles. Russian officials reported the arrest of another suspect in the concert hall attack near Moscow. France: The attack on the concert hall in Moscow was carried out by ISIS, not Ukraine. The United States strongly condemned the deadly terrorist attack in the Moscow suburbs. Zelensky: Putin is looking to blame others instead of taking care of his citizens. Putin's claim: The attackers were trying to escape to Ukraine; Kyiv denied involvement in the attack on the Moscow suburbs. The international community condemned the terrorist attack in the Moscow suburbs. The death toll from the armed attack on the concert hall near Moscow has increased; ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.