Armed men opened fire in a concert hall in Moscow on Friday, killing over 60 people and injuring more than 100. They also set fire to the venue, leaving the 6,200-seater Crocus City Hall in flames and with a collapsing roof, which hampered rescue efforts.
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on affiliated channels on social media. The attack comes days after President Vladimir Putin's landslide win in the nationwide elections.
The assailants entered the Crocus City Hall, a large music venue just west of Moscow, and sprayed the civilians with bullets just before Soviet-era rock group 'Picnic' was to perform to a full house.
It is yet to be known whether the attackers have been apprehended or they have escaped.
The Investigative Committee, the top state criminal investigation agency, reported early on Saturday that more than 60 people were killed. Health authorities released a list of 145 injured - 115 of them hospitalised, including five children. Reports suggest that victims might have been trapped inside because of the fire.
Videos posted by Russian media and on social media showed men with assault rifles shooting screaming people at point-blank range. One video showed a man in the auditorium saying the assailants had set it on fire, as gunshots rang out incessantly. Another showed people taking cover inside the hall as gunshots could be heard in the background.
The prosecutor's office said several men in combat fatigues entered the concert hall and fired on concertgoers. Guards at the concert hall did not have guns, and some could have been killed at the start of the attack, Russian media reported. Some Russian news outlets suggested the assailants fled before special forces and riot police arrived. Reports said police patrols were looking for vehicles the attackers could have used to escape.
US intelligence officials confirmed the claim by the Islamic State group's branch based in Afghanistan that it was responsible for the Moscow attack, a US official told the AP. The official said US intelligence agencies had gathered information in recent weeks that the IS branch was planning an attack in Moscow. He said US officials had privately shared the intelligence earlier this month with Russian officials.
