Russian President Putin lights candle for victims of Moscow terror attack

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin lit a candle in church for victims of the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall in Moscow, which claimed the lives of 137 people. The video shared by Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on social media platform X showed Putin lighting a candle.

While sharing a video shared on X, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "President Vladimir Putin honoured the memory of all who perished in the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall by Orthodox tradition."

The death toll from the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall has risen to 137, Russia-based TASS reported, TASS reported.

In a statement, the Russian Investigative Committee said, "The identification of the bodies of the dead continues. At the moment, the bodies of 137 people have been found at the scene of the terrorist attack, three of which are children. The inspection of the crime scene continues. To date, 62 bodies have been identified."

The Russian Investigative Committee stated that investigative actions are being conducted with the victims. Work has started to issue personal belongings, documents and cars to people who were in the concert complex on the day of the terrorist attack.

Earlier on Saturday, Putin vowed to punish terrorists after they carried out an attack at the Crocus City Hall music venue in the city of Krasnogorsk.

In his televised address to the nation posted by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on X, Putin said, "Our people, our children, just like the Nazis that once killed our people during the war. They do the same. All the orchestrators, all those who are responsible for this crime will inevitably be found responsible, they will pay. We will identify everyone who stands behind these terrorists and they will pay. This is a strike against Russia."

He said that Russia will investigate the terrorist attack and added that all four perpetrators who were directly involved in the attack were apprehended. He asserted that the investigative authorities will make every effort to identify the details of the attack. Russian President said that these criminals went specifically to kill people, point black.

Putin said, "We will investigate this terrorist attack and we already have some results. All the four perpetrators, who were directly involved who were gunning people down, killing people. They were found and apprehended. They tried to escape. They were moving towards the border with Ukraine and we have data that suggests that they were about to be moved towards the territory of Ukraine by those in Ukraine."

"Our military services, our emergency services, our investigators are working on finding out the orchestrators of this terrorist attack, those who gave them transportation, who gave them weapons, etc. The investigative authorities will do everything to identify all details of this crime. But it's already evident that we face not just a cynically organized terrorist attack, but a massive mass killing of civilians. These perpetrators, these criminals went specifically to kill, to kill people, point blank," he added.

The Russian intelligence agencies detained 11 people, including four 'terrorists', who they claimed were 'directly' involved in a terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall, TASS reported citing Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) statement on Saturday. The ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack at the concert venue complex near Moscow on Friday night after assailants stormed the venue with guns and incendiary devices, CNN reported.

"The activities of intelligence and law enforcement agencies have resulted in the detention of 11 people, including four terrorists, who directly participated in the terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall," the statement read.

The tragic events unfolded on Friday evening at Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, on the western outskirts of the Russian capital. The concert venue, with an estimated capacity of 7,500, was almost full when the terrorists struck. The assault took place ahead of a performance by the Russian rock band Picnic, RT news agency reported.

According to the mobile phone footage and eyewitness accounts, at least five gunmen wearing military-style gear and carrying assault rifles first opened fire at unarmed security guards at the main entrance to the venue. They then proceeded to shoot indiscriminately at the fleeing crowd of panicked visitors.Once the terrorists reached the concert hall, they appeared to set fire to rows of chairs inside, with the blaze quickly engulfing much of the building, including its roof.

Investigators have stated that preliminary findings based on evidence at the scene appear to confirm that the terrorists used automatic weapons during the attack, and used some sort of flammable liquid to set fire to the premises. The Investigative Committee said it is now carrying out ballistic, genetic, and fingerprint analysis based on the material evidence found at the scene.