The armed attack followed by a fire in a concert hall in the suburbs of Moscow, which left more than a hundred dead on Friday evening and was claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS), sparked emotional reactions in the whole world.
Despite the diplomatic gap that has widened between Russia and the Western world, the White House as well as many heads of state or governments in Europe have expressed their compassion for Russia and condemned the attack.
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LIVE – Attack in Moscow: Islamic State claims responsibility for attack that left several dead in a concert hall in Russia
The White House said it
"stands with the victims of the terrible attack"
, while adding that the United States had warned Russia in March of a terrorist attack likely to target
"large gatherings"
in Moscow.
“Earlier this month, the US government had information about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow, potentially targeting large gatherings, including concerts, and Washington shared this information with Russian authorities
,” Adrienne said Watson, spokesperson for the US National Security Council.
She said President Joe Biden's administration has implemented a long-standing
"duty to alert"
policy , under which the United States notifies targeted countries when it receives intelligence about specific threats of kidnapping or of assassinations.
The American Embassy in Russia, for its part, warned its citizens two weeks ago that it was
“closely following information that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, including concerts”
.
Warnings that Vladimir Putin described as “blackmail”.
Western countries express solidarity
Many European governments or heads of state expressed their sadness and condemnation after the attack.
In France Emmanuel Macron
“strongly condemns the terrorist attack claimed by the Islamic State”
, according to a press release from the Élysée.
“France expresses its solidarity with the victims, their loved ones and all the Russian people
,” continues the French presidency.
London condemns
“with the greatest firmness the deadly terrorist attack”
in Moscow, said David Cameron.
“The horror of the massacre of innocent civilians in Moscow is unacceptable
,” said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
“We are shocked
,” added the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Twitter, adding:
“Spain condemns all forms of violence.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also condemned
“the terrible terrorist attack against innocent spectators during a concert in Moscow”
.
For his part, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz also spoke:
“Saddened by the tragic events of this evening in Moscow.
We think with emotion of the families of the victims and all those affected
,” he said.
Condemnation around the world
Elsewhere in the world, Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose country has moved closer to Russia, sent a message of condolences to his counterpart Vladimir Putin.
China
“strongly condemns the terrorist attack and firmly supports the Russian government's efforts to safeguard its national security and stability
,” he wrote, according to comments cited by the Xinhua news agency.
“We strongly condemn the heinous terrorist attack perpetrated in Moscow
,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared on the social network X, adding that the country
“stands in solidarity with the government and people of the Russian Federation at this time of mourning
.
Moscow and kyiv accuse each other
Many other countries around the world have expressed their condolences, with the notable exception of Ukraine, which still reacted to the attack by guaranteeing that it had no responsibility:
“my country had absolutely nothing to do”
with the attack, said an adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, Mykhaïlo Podoliak.
However, the Russian security services (FSB) said on Saturday that the suspects in the attack had “contacts” in Ukraine and intended to flee there.
Also read: Russia will kill Ukrainian leaders if they are linked to Moscow attack, Medvedev threatens
Ukrainian intelligence, on the contrary, blamed the Russians themselves:
“The terrorist attack in Moscow is a planned and deliberate provocation by Russian special services on the orders of (Vladimir) Putin.
Its objective is to justify even harsher strikes against Ukraine and total mobilization in Russia
.