Vladimir Putin avoided any reference to the Islamist terrorist organization, mentioning instead an alleged Ukrainian connection, the spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry in Moscow directly questioned the possibility of ISIS involvement, and state television was reportedly ordered to to march on Kiev’s alleged involvement in Friday night’s attack, Reuters, the Associated Press and the independent Russian publication Meduza reported.
Russia has so far refused to publicly accept the involvement of the Islamic State terrorist group in Friday night’s terror attack at a concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow that killed at least 137 people.
Both the Russian televisions that covered the events, as well as the propagandists of the Kremlin regime talk insistently about an alleged Ukrainian connection.
Four men stormed the Crocus City Hall performance hall on Friday night, spraying people with bullets, just before the Soviet-era rock group Picnic began to play. Four men, at least one of whom is Tajik, were later remanded in custody on terrorism charges.
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the terrorist group has since released what it says are images of the attack. US officials have confirmed the involvement of ISIS – specifically its regional affiliate in Afghanistan – and said they alerted Russia to reports of an imminent attack earlier this month.
But President Vladimir Putin never publicly mentioned the terrorist organization when he addressed the Russians to promise that those involved would be punished. Instead, he claimed that the captured attackers tried to flee to Ukraine.
There is currently no evidence for this claim, but independent analysts cited by The Guardian noted that Moscow is already using the attack as a tool to bolster its case for war in Ukraine.
The attack on Friday evening dealt an important blow to Vladimir Putin, dispelling the aura of confidence with which the Kremlin leader surrounded himself and shattering the promise of security for Russians, the international press reports.
The four suspects in brought to court, beaten and arrested
However, the four suspects, all citizens of Tajikistan, have been charged with terrorism for carrying out the Moscow massacre in which more than 130 people were killed. Three of them allegedly admitted their guilt. Their faces swollen and bruised, they arrived at court bearing the signs of severe beatings. One of them, brought in in a wheelchair, appeared to be barely conscious during the hearing. Their condition raised questions about whether they really spoke freely. The Russian press writes that the security services would have tortured them during the interrogations. The court ordered preventive arrest for them until May 22.
Each of the four defendants was brought before the court individually on Sunday, and three of them pleaded “guilty” to all charges, according to the TASS agency.
The names of the four defendants are Dalerdjon Mîrzoev, Saidakrami Raceabalizoda, Şamsidin Fariduni and Muhammadsobir Faizov. All four are from Tajikistan and were in Russia with temporary or expired visas.
The court held hearings behind closed doors for each of the accused, without allowing public access.
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