“I can’t find the words to explain how I feel and how deeply devastated I am.”
In front of the gates surrounding the Russian embassy in the heart of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, Irina* (*first name has been changed) finds it difficult to contain her emotion.
When she woke up, the young woman from Russia rushed to buy a bouquet of red roses which she then placed in front of the entrance to the large building.
On the sidewalk, the pile of bouquets placed in tribute to the hundred victims killed in the terrorist attack in Moscow the day before, is growing visibly.
“It’s a way for us to express our emotion while we are far from Moscow,” explains Igor, a student, after laying a wreath of flowers.
“It’s very sad for the Russian people,” says Anastasiia, shaken by the events of the day before.
The young Russian woman came to Paris for her studies.
“It’s natural to come here to pay tribute to all these innocent people who were killed,” she explains before reflecting.
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The attack was claimed by the Islamic State group.
Eleven people were arrested, including four suspected attackers.
They are “all foreign citizens,” the Russian Interior Ministry assured Saturday, without specifying their nationality.
Russian media and a lawmaker earlier said some of the suspects were from Tajikistan, a Central Asian country bordering Afghanistan and where ISIS is active.