U.S. officials say U.S. intelligence agencies had gathered information in recent weeks that ISIS was planning an attack in Moscow, but the warnings were dismissed by Russian President Putin, who described them as “provocative.”
A U.S. intelligence official described how U.S. intelligence agencies learned how an ISIS cell based in Afghanistan planned an attack in Moscow and shared the information with Russian officials.
Putin has dismissed the warnings as an attempt to intimidate the Russians.
U.S. officials say the information was shared privately only three days ago before gunmen stormed a large concert hall Friday evening and fired into the crowd with gunfire, killing more than 60 people.
The brutal attack injured more than a hundred people and set fire to the site of Crocus City Hall in the Russian capital.
US intelligence agencies shared information showing that ISIS was plotting an attack in Moscow, but Russian President Putin ignored the warnings
Putin labeled the warnings as ‘provocative’ – the attack resulted in more than 60 deaths and more than 100 injuries at a concert hall
Medics transport the body of a victim in a waiting ambulance near the burning Crocus City Hall building on the western outskirts of Moscow
Earlier in March, the US Embassy in Moscow also issued a security alert.
It warned of a possible terror attack in Moscow and urged people to avoid crowds and be aware of their surroundings.
“The embassy is monitoring reports that extremists are planning to target large gatherings in Moscow, including concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings for the next 48 hours,” the March 7 security alert said.
Concerts were specifically mentioned as a potential target in the US security alert.
It is not clear what prompted the warning and whether it was related to Friday evening’s attack.
The US gave the intelligence to Russia under the Duty to Warn requirement – an intelligence community requirement to notify US and non-US groups of possible impending threats.
Earlier this week – and several weeks after the warnings were issued – Putin said the warnings were “provocative.”
Several armed men stormed into a major concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons into the crowd, wounding more than 100 people and starting a massive fire in an apparent terror attack.
Footage on social media shows armed men dressed in camouflage clothing opening fire with automatic weapons on people at the Crocus City Hall music venue near Moscow
Gunmen are seen shooting into a concert hall on the western outskirts of Moscow on Friday evening
People gather at Crocus Town Hall. Early reports indicated that at least 60 people were killed and many more injured when several gunmen opened fire at the site
A massive fire can be seen above the Crocus City Hall on the western outskirts of Moscow, Russia
A fire rages at the Crocus City Hall in Krasnororsk, Russia
On Friday tThe US embassy once again warned that it was “aware” of the attack and urged Americans to avoid the area.
“We strongly condemn the horrific attack on a concert hall in Moscow. We express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has called the incident a “terrorist attack.”
“All this looks like outright blackmail and the intention to intimidate and destabilize our society,” President Putin said in a statement on Friday.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on affiliated social media channels.
It was not immediately clear what happened to the attackers after the raid.
The attack, which left the concert hall engulfed in flames with the roof collapsing, was Russia’s deadliest in years and came as the country’s war in Ukraine entered a third year.
People lay flowers and light candles in memory of the victims of the Moscow gun attack
Rescue workers work near the burning Crocus City Hall concert hall after the shooting
On Friday evening, a huge fire can be seen above the Crocus town hall after the terrorist attack
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called the raid a “huge tragedy.”
The Kremlin said Putin was informed minutes after the attackers stormed Crocus City Hall, a large music venue on the western outskirts of Moscow that seats 6,200 people.
The attack took place as crowds gathered for a performance by Russian rock band Picnic.
Video showed the building on fire as a huge cloud of smoke rose through the night sky.
The street was illuminated by the flashing blue lights of dozens of fire trucks, ambulances and other emergency vehicles as fire helicopters buzzed overhead to dump water on the blaze that took hours to bring under control.
Graphic videos were posted on social media claiming the attack unfolded with gunshots and screams from concertgoers.
Shortly after Friday’s attack, ISIS claimed responsibility, according to a message on Telegram from a new service linked to the terrorist group.
U.S. officials later confirmed that an affiliate of ISIS, Islamic State-Khorasan, or ISIS-K, was responsible and had planned an attack.
ISIS-K was known to operate in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, and was active in Russia, two U.S. officials told The Washington Post.
