TRANSCRIPT
Russia has declared a national day of mourning as mountains of flowers kept growing outside the Crocus City concert hall where 137 people were killed and at least 100 were injured by armed attackers. The Russian Investigation Committee released a video on Sunday, showing suspects in the shooting being brought to the Investigation Committee's headquarters in Moscow.
Svetlana Petrenko is the Russian Investigative Committee's spokesperson.
“Investigative actions are being carried out with the suspects in the terrorist attack. Soon the investigators will take steps to impose a preventive measure in the form of detention on four suspects. Identification of the bodies of the victims continues. At the moment, the bodies of 137 people, three of whom are children, have been found at the site of the terrorist attack. So far, 62 bodies have been identified. Genetic tests are being carried out to identify the other victims.”
Russian news reports identified the gunmen as citizens of Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic in Central Asia that is predominantly Muslim and borders Afghanistan.
Tajikistan's foreign ministry, which denied initial Russian media reports that mentioned several other Tajiks allegedly involved in the raid, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the arrests.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says authorities arrested the men as they attempted to escape to Ukraine.
“All four direct perpetrators of the terrorist attack, all those who shot and killed people, were found and detained. They tried to hide and were moving towards Ukraine, where, according to preliminary data, a passage was prepared for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the state border.”
U-S Vice-President Kamala Harris fervently denies Ukraine was involved, instead pointing the finger at an Islamic State affiliated group [[ISIS-K]] who claimed responsibility.
“First, let me start by saying what has happened in an act of terrorism and the number of people who have been killed is obviously a tragedy, and we should all send our condolences to those families. No, there is no whatsoever any evidence. And in fact, what we know to be the case is that ISIS-K is actually, by all accounts, responsible for what happened.”
Mr Putin has vowed those arrested and those who supported them would be punished.
“A total of 11 people were detained. The Federal Security Service of Russia and other law enforcement agencies are working to identify and uncover the entire accomplice base of terrorists: those who provided them with transport, outlined escape routes from the crime scene, prepared stashes, caches of weapons and ammunition. ... All perpetrators, organisers and contractors of this crime will suffer fair and inevitable punishment. Whoever they are, whoever guides them. I repeat: we will identify and punish everyone who stands behind the terrorists, who prepared this atrocity, this attack on Russia, on our people.”
Maria, was at the concert hall during the attack and describes what she heard and saw.
She did not provide her last name.
“Bang, pause, bang, pause. It sounded very similar to some kind of fireworks somewhere in the distance. And then there was gunfire and the sound became more and more persistent, closer, closer and closer to the hall. ... I was in the concert hall at this moment. And this uncertainty, where to go, what to do, it scared me the most as every person there had no idea what was happening.”
To escape, Maria had to crawl on her hands and knees.
“A few minutes later me and the people next to me crawled to the exit and ran out of the hall and the workers in Crocus City Hall...I am so grateful to all of those people who were there that evening, they showed us where to go, directed us. I would like to thank each of them. They did a great job. They saved, I don't know how many, hundreds, 1,000 lives.”
Pope Francis has called the attack, vile.
“I assure my prayers for the victims of the vile terrorist attack carried out in Moscow, may the Lord receive them in his peace, comfort their families, and convert the hearts of those who carry out these inhuman actions that offend God who commanded to not kill.”
