What's Known on Russian Crocus City Hall Attack Thus Far?

The number of those killed in the March 22 terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall concert venue in the Moscow Region has risen to 143, including three children, with 107 more taken to hospital.

The death toll from the attack is expected to increase further, the Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement on Saturday.

Preliminary data has shown that the causes of deaths are gunshot wounds and poisoning by combustion products, according to the statement.

This comes as Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said that after the Crocus City Hall attack, "the criminals intended to cross the Russian-Ukrainian border and had relevant contacts on the Ukrainian side of the border."

The attack was thoroughly planned and the perpetrators had weapons prepared in advance in a cache, the FSB noted, adding that work is underway to determine all the circumstances of the incident.

Earlier in the day, FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov reported the arrest of 11 suspects in connection with the attack to Russian President Vladimir Putin, including all four directly involved in it. The suspects were detained in the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, according to the FSB.

In a separate development, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that over the past ten years, “Western liberal regimes have turned Ukraine into a center for spreading terrorism,” where "those involved in the Crocus City Hall attack tried to find a shelter.”

Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of Sputnik's parent media group Rossiya Segodnya, wrote on her Telegram channel that a man detained on suspicion of being involved in the Crocus City Hall attack admitted to shooting innocent people for money.

The suspected terrorist claimed that although curators promised to pay him 500,000 rubles ($5,418), he allegedly received just half of the sum, according to Simonyan.

Analysis

‘I Have No Doubt Moscow Terror Act Was Provoked by Ukraine’: Elite Russian Counter-Terrorism Veteran

22 March, 22:24 GMT

In another development, Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock denounced the Crocus City Hall attack, signaling the international organization’s readiness to assist Russian authorities in the relevant investigation.

"I strongly condemn the attack at the Crocus City Hall which was a terrible act against innocent civilians. Our thoughts are with the victims, and their families and friends. Interpol is ready to provide support to the investigation by Russian authorities," Stock wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Moscow Crocus City Hall Attack: What’s Known So Far?