Putin blames radical Islamists for Moscow attack

2024-03-26 08:17:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on March 25 that the terrorist attack at the Crocus concert hall near Moscow was carried out by radical Islamists.

Speaking during a meeting with government officials, Putin said the killings were carried out by extremists "whose ideology, the Islamic world, has been fighting for centuries."

At least 139 people were killed and more than 180 injured in the attack on the Crocus concert hall near Moscow on March 22, according to officials.

Putin did not mention the Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the attack, but again tried to implicate the United States and Ukraine without providing a single piece of evidence.

"We know that the crime was committed by radical Islamists... but we also see that the United States is trying to convince its satellites and the rest of the world that there is allegedly no trace of Kiev in the terrorist attack in Moscow", said Putin.

Kiev and Washington have rejected Putin's claims.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied any involvement in the attack, saying Putin is always looking to blame "someone else".

"Again, he accuses Ukraine. Sick and cynical creature. Everyone is a terrorist for him, except himself, even though he has been feeding on terror for two decades," Zelensky said.

On March 24, the White House said that the Islamic State of Khorasan was solely responsible for the attack in Moscow.

There was absolutely no Ukrainian involvement in this," White House Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said.

On March 25, French President Emmanuel Macron said France has information indicating that "the Islamic State is fully responsible" for the attack.

Macron said it was a branch of Islamic State that "planned and carried out" the attack, adding that the same terrorist group had planned attacks in France.

Putin said that the investigation should reveal who ordered the attack, adding that it is necessary to learn why the terrorists "tried to flee to Ukraine and who was waiting there for them".

On March 23, Putin said the four gunmen were arrested while trying to flee to Ukraine, which he said had "prepared a window for them to cross the border." Putin did not provide any evidence to support these claims. claims./ Rel