The Islamic State (IS) jihadist group claimed responsibility for an attack on a concert hall in the suburbs of Moscow on Friday evening, which according to Russian authorities left at least 40 dead.
IS fighters “attacked a large gathering (…) in the vicinity of the Russian capital Moscow,” IS said on one of its Telegram accounts.
The jihadist group claimed that its commando then “returned to its base safely”.
Russian law enforcement officials said they were “searching” for the attackers.
They did not specify whether suspects were still in the building at 8:00 p.m. GMT, although an investigation into a “terrorist act” was opened.
The attackers were camouflaged
Gunmen opened fire during a rock concert at a venue in Moscow's northern suburbs, killing at least 40 people, injuring around 100 others and sparking a blaze in the theater, authorities said.
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The attackers, dressed in camouflage outfits, entered the building, opened fire and threw a grenade or an incendiary bomb, according to a journalist from the RIA Novosti news agency present at the scene.
Russian authorities said an investigation into “terrorism” had been opened.