On Friday, AlertsUSA subscribers were some of the first in the nation to learn of a mass shooting unfolding at the Crocus City Hall concert venue located in NW Moscow. In this attack, launched just prior to the start of a performance by a Russian rock band known as Piknik, at least 5 gunman dressed in tactical gear and armed with automatic weapons and explosives entered the large concert venue and immediately opened fire on concert goers and staff.
Online reports indicate the assailants threw Molotov cocktails inside the facility in order to set the structure ablaze, as well as detonated multiple unspecified explosive devices.
Graphic video posted to social media show the gunmen firing on concertgoers in the lobby, as well as within the concert hall itself (WARNING - GRAPHIC: See this, and this, and this, and this).
The US Embassy issued a security alert for those Americans still in Russia to avoid the area around the Crocus venue and warned that the U.S. government’s ability to provide routine or emergency services to U.S. citizens in Russia is severely restricted due to Russian government limitations on travel for U.S. embassy personnel and staff.
Readers are reminded that on Thursday March 7th, AlertsUSA subscribers were notified of a security alert issued by both the US and British embassies in Moscow warning that extremists "have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours."
At that time, several other nations also warned their citizens in Russia of the threat. Latvia urged its citizens to leave Russia as soon as possible. Estonia urged its citizens to "be more attentive than usual" and to avoid public gatherings. The German Foreign Ministry warned their citizens against visiting border regions, of possible attacks on public transportation, as well as possible drone attacks on Moscow and its surrounding regions.
All that was on March 7-8. On March 19th, the news agency TASS reported Russian president Vladimir Putin dismissed the warning, calling it provocative and stating, "All this resembles outright blackmail and the intention to intimidate and destabilize our society."
Late Friday afternoon, the Islamic State's Amaq News Agency published what appears to be an official claim of responsibility for the attack. Their statement reads as follows:
"Islamic State fighters attacked a large gathering of Christians in the city of Kransogorsk on the outskirts of the Russian capital, Moscow, killing and wounding hundreds and causing great destruction to the place before they withdrew to their bases safely."
Early Saturday, TASS reported the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) informed President Vladimir Putin of the arrest of 11 individuals, four of whom were directly involved in the attack.
AlertsUSA continues to monitor the overall domestic and international threat environment and will immediately notify service subscribers, via SMS messages and email, of breaking incidents of national significance, as well as any new alerts, warnings or advisories impacting the overall threat picture for American citizens, as events warrant. |
