Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared Sunday a day of morning but also pledged to seek justice against those responsible for the “barbaric terrorist attack” at a Moscow concert hall that claimed over 130 lives.
In a televised address on Saturday, President Vladimir Putin informed the nation that security forces had apprehended four suspects attempting to escape to Ukraine.
He said that all four gunmen who carried out the deadly attack at a packed concert venue in Moscow have been arrested.
According to the Russian Investigative Committee, the attackers used flammable liquid to set fire to sections of the concert hall and that the deaths of the victims were caused by gunshot wounds and poisoning by combustion products.
The Islamic State group wrote on Telegram Saturday that the attack was “carried out by four IS fighters armed with machine guns, a pistol, knives and firebombs,” as part of “the raging war” with “countries fighting Islam”.
It is the deadliest attack in Russia for almost two decades.
Russian officials expect the death toll to rise further, with more than 100 wounded in hospital.
Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said rescue workers were still pulling bodies from the burnt-out building on Saturday.