Russia's Crocus City Hall Terrorist Attack Deadliest In Two Decades

Russia has been struck by its deadliest terror attack in the past two decades, leaving 60 people dead and about 145 injured. The attack targeted Crocus City Hall, a popular concert hall in Moscow that was at its full capacity of 6200 when camouflage-clad gunmen opened fire.

The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) has claimed responsibility for the attack, their first outside southwest Asia, in a video published by ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaaq on Telegram saying they had attacked a large gathering of “Christians”. However, according to the Associated Press, the authenticity of the claim could not be verified.

Video footage from the attack shows the concert hall on fire causing the roof to partially collapse. Witnesses said the militants burst into the concert hall and sprayed the crowd with gunfire followed by grenades thrown at the concertgoers. Screams were heard with people immediately rushing for the exit.

The attack is being termed as the deadliest one since the 2004 Beslan school siege in which more than 330 people, half of them children, were killed. 

A U.S. intelligence official told The Associated Press that U.S. intelligence agencies had previously warned Moscow of a possible attack by the Islamic State’s Afghanistan affiliate.

The attack comes just a week after Vladimir Putin won the Presidential elections in a landslide victory, securing a fifth term as the country's leader.

Russian authorities beefed up security at Moscow's airports, railway stations, and the capital's expansive subway system. Moscow's mayor called off all large gatherings, while theatres and museums have been closed for the weekend.