VLAD VOWS REVENGE Putin says Moscow concert hall gunmen who killed 133 tried to flee to UKRAINE despite ISIS claiming terror attack
VLADIMIR Putin appeared to hint Russia is seeking to blame UKRAINE for the Moscow massacre that left 133 dead - and vowed vengeance.
Russia is reeling after the horrific terrorist attack last night on a concert hall - the worst to hit the massive country in 20 years.
The Russian president, 71, addressed the nation and promised his people he would "punish" those responsible for the massacre.
ISIS-K - a brutal splinter cell of the death cult - has claimed responsibility for the savage attack.
At least four gunmen stormed the Crocus City Hall venue on the outskirts of Moscow during a rock show by the band Picnic.
They fired a salvo of machine gun shots into crowds - killing men, women and children.The building was left with a collapsed roof after the terrorists started an inferno which ripped through the structure, trapping many civilians inside.
Russia claims it has already arrested the suspected shooters and at least seven others in connection with the attack.
Yet the Kremlin seem to already be seeking to try and shift some of the blame to Ukraine.
Putin attempted to suggest the gunmen tried to escape to Ukraine after the "barbaric terrorist attack".
Ukraine has already hit back at this claim - dismissing it as rubbish.
In a televised address to the nation, a furious Putin said all those involved in the attack would be found and punished.
He declared March 24 a day of national mourning for the victims.
Unblinking and tight-lipped, he said: "I am speaking to you today in connection with the bloody, barbaric terrorist act, the victims of which were dozens of innocent, peaceful people."
He continued: "All four perpetrators of the terrorist act who shot and killed people have been detained.
"They were travelling towards Ukraine ... We will identify and punish everybody who stood behind the terrorists, who prepared the attack."
What we know so far:
- At least 133 dead and more than 121 injured in the terrorist attack in Moscow
- Gunmen armed with automatic weapons & explosives stormed the Crocus City Hall last night at 8pm local time
- Some 6,000 fans were gathered to watch Russian rock band Picnic
- Fires were set in the venue and burned out of control - hampering the rescue mission
- Russia has arrested the four suspected gunmen and has released footage of their interrogations
- A faction of ISIS have claimed responsibility for Russia's worst terror attack in 20 years
- Ukraine has denied anything to do with the massacre
- US and British intelligence warned Russia weeks before about the threat of an 'imminent' attack - but were dismissed
Putin - who provided no evidence for his claim against Ukraine - added that additional security measures would be imposed across Russia.
Kyiv has denied all Moscow's claims that they were in any way involved - and hit back specifically at the Russian claim the gunmen were "heading for Ukraine".
Andrii Yusov, spokesman for Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, said "you don't need to be a security expert" to understand Putin's claims were nonsense.
He pointed to the fact the border between Ukraine and Russia is an active warzone, under intense surveillance from both sides and laced with landmines.
"Understandably, this version does not withstand criticism understood by everyone in the world except perhaps the Russian population, which may be indoctrinated," he said.
Last night, masked men in camouflage gear wielding automatic weapons stormed the packed Crocus City Hall - opening fire and hurling explosives into a crowd.
Some 6,000 people are believed to have been inside the venue watching Russian rock band Picnic when the bloodshed began.
The gunmen began shooting civilians at point-blank range - through glass doors, turnstiles and then the concert hall itself, traumatised witnesses said.
Devastating footage showed piles of bodies outside the blackened concert venue on the western edge of Moscow.
Firefighters and emergency workers are facing the grim task of going through the smouldering ruins to potentially find even more victims.
The bodies of whole families were found, dead mothers embracing their dead children, Russian media reported.
The death toll continues to rise as more bodies are dragged from the rubble in an operation that could "at least a few more days," Moscow's governor said.
Russia's security service (FSB) launched a massive manhunt to catch those responsible and have now detained 11 suspects, including four it says were "directly" involved in last night's attack.
Two were apprehended after a car chase and two others fled into a forest before being detained - all four have been named and pictured by the FSB.
Russia has been releasing gruesome footage of their interrogations throughout today, including a grisly video of one suspect appearing to be fed his own sliced off ear.
US officials claim they have intelligence to confirm the plot was masterminded by the ISIS splinter cell operating in Afghanistan, known as ISIS -K.
The Islamic State have since claimed responsibility for the massacre, writing in a statement: "IS fighters attacked a large gathering" before they had "retreated to their bases safely".
A spokesman for Kyiv's military spy agency said today that Ukraine was not involved in the shooting attack and any suggestions of a Ukrainian link "have nothing in common with reality".
The FSB have tried to claim the suspected gunmen were heading towards Russia's border with Ukraine when they were arrested.
Putin's spooks also suggested the attackers had contacts on the Ukrainian side - but there is no current evidence to back up such an allegation.
Andriy Yusov, of Ukraine's military intelligence, said: "This is of course another lie from the Russian special services, which has nothing in common with reality and does not stand up against any criticism."
It has also emerged that the Russian leader rubbished warnings from the US and UK about an "imminent" terror attack just three days before.
British and US intelligence services alerted Russia earlier this month of the threat of a terror attack on Moscow - something the Kremlin sought to downplay, describing it as "provocative".
Horrifying accounts have emerged in the wake of the shooting attack.
Witnesses described how four armed men walked calmly towards the metal detectors at Crocus City Hall, firing their automatic weapons point-blank in short bursts and terrified civilians fell screaming in a hail of bullets.
Footage showed dozens of bodies, some in pools of blood, lay motionless on the marble floors and at the main entrance.
One survivor, Natalya, said: "The shots came from behind us.
"It was loud, like a firecracker blast, fireworks, but like an automatic burst. I could hear it right behind me, not far away."
Then Natalya ran for her life. "Everyone was screaming; everyone was running."
Another witness said: “We huddled in a corner at the entrance. He [gunman] came up and started shooting directly at people.
“They had black hair. They were shouting at each other and it was not Russian speech.”
Another woman told how she feigned being shot - which saved her life.
She said: “They [the terrorists] were standing at the exit, we didn't go there, but they saw us."
“One of them came running back and started shooting at us.
“I fell on the floor, and pretended to die. A girl next to me was killed."
Witnesses said they poured some sort of flammable liquid on seating and curtains in several places before igniting it.
Cops last night eventually managed to evacuate over 100 people hiding in the basement of the concert hall.
Some of the attackers had barricaded themselves inside the venue, making rescue efforts difficult as the fire burned.
Explosions were reported at the venue while panicked people were seen fleeing as the gunmen are believed to have taken hostages.
Witnesses told of leaping over fire, some with their clothes melting, to escape the blaze which swiftly spread over an area of 12,900sqm, sending flames and a plume of black smoke billowing into the night sky.
Over 120 people are still in hospital with the conditions of 44 survivors described as "serious".
Over 600 people have turned out to give blood at donation centres across Moscow so far this morning to help the wounded, Russia's health ministry has said.
UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron this morning condemned the deadly terror attack.
He wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "We offer our heartfelt condolences and express our deepest sympathy to the families of the many victims. Nothing can ever justify such horrific violence."
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said late on Friday that Kyiv had nothing to do with the attack.
In a video message posted on Telegram, Podolyak said: "Let's be straight about this: Ukraine had absolutely nothing to do with these events.
"We have a full-scale, all-out war with the Russian regular army and with the Russian Federation as a country.
"And regardless of everything, everything will be decided on the battlefield."
The Return of ISIS
ISIS's infamous black flag is feared to be rising once again - with the attack on the Moscow hall being one of their bloodiest since they were defeated in the Middle East.
The terrorist group's attacks sparked horror around the world for years - and their violent videos showing beheadings, burnings and other executions shocked society to its core.
But it is feared that following on from the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan and the crisis in the Middle East following the October 7 massacre, the group is gathering strength.
US General Joel Vowell - who leads America's efforts abroad to squash ISIS - warned that the threat of a suspected attack has risen 200 per cent in the last three months.
He has headed the ten year US-led coalition Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIS, which saw Western troops stationed in Iraq and Syria - two hotbeds of the terror group's activity.
In January he met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to talk about removing US troops from Iraq - but instead issued a disturbing message.
The Middle East expert explained that ISIS cells have been rallying their forces in the background, "in Syria and Iraq in the last 60 days in particular”.
Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist extremist movement, launched a brutal attack on Israel’s border in the early hours of October 7, 2023 dubbed Israel's "9/11" - killing over 1200 people.
Extremist Islamist groups including the Houthis and Hezbollah have aimed attacks at the US and the UK, citing support of Israel - because of their war against Hamas.
Professor Anthony Glees told The Sun that the Western world now faces threats “from all sides” - and that the fight against Hamas, the Houthis and Hezbollah shouldn’t detract from efforts to protect ourselves from older terrorist threats like ISIS.
“I absolutely think we are being assailed from all sides. That makes us vulnerable. And when you're vulnerable, you get bullied and attacked.”
The security expert also told The Sun that he “absolutely” thinks it's possible that we could be looking at a new wave of a terrorist threat like those seen over the last 20 years.
The raging threat of terror groups like Hamas, the Houthis and Hezbollah could be combined with attacks by organisations like ISIS on UK soil.
Glees claimed that the events of October 7 and the ensuing war has “provided that spark”.
Ex-US General Ben Hodges said: "The UK is in a pre-war environment. That means war is coming."
Met Police commissioner Mark Rowley warned this time last year that Britain that the UK has tens of thousands of potential terrorists hiding in plain sight.
Sir Rowley warned that they were on the security services radar, and would need just a “spark” to act on their extremist beliefs.
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