The search for victims of the attack in a concert hall near Moscow has ended. Investigations continue against those suspected of being responsible for the attack. Russia does not deviate from Ukraine's possible complicity.
Four days after the attack in a concert hall near Moscow, emergency services have ended the search for missing people and victims at the attack site. “I can report that there are no more victims under the rubble,” said the head of the Moscow Region's disaster control agency, Sergei Poletykin, on Tuesday evening. An area of 8,000 square meters on the grounds of the Crocus City Hall was searched, also with the help of sniffer dogs.
About 1,000 members of the civil defense took part in the search, according to the governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov. Last Friday, several perpetrators broke into the hall during a concert and opened fire on the visitors. They also allegedly used a grenade or an incendiary bomb. A fire broke out in the hall, causing massive damage to the building. The attack killed 139 people and injured around 200.
Russia maintains Ukraine's possible involvement
On the day of the attack, the terrorist organization “Islamic State” claimed responsibility for the crime. But Russia also maintains suspicions that Ukraine could be involved in the attack. President Vladimir Putin spoke of a “Ukrainian trace” without, however, providing any evidence for these speculations. He later blamed “radical Islamists” for the attack.
Most recently, both Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and the secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, also reiterated the suspicion that Ukraine could be responsible for the attack. The Russian domestic secret service FSB maintains that the suspected attackers tried to flee to Ukraine after the attack. FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov also claimed that the secret services of the USA and Great Britain were partly responsible for the terrorist act.
Eighth suspect in Pretrial detention
The day after the attack there were eleven arrests. Eight suspects are now in custody. A man who is said to have rented an apartment to the suspected attackers before the attack was taken into custody on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old denied in court that he knew about the attack plans. The dpa news agency quoted the accused as saying he thought the men were normal tenants.
