US officials say US intelligence agencies had gathered information in recent weeks that ISIS was planning an attack in Moscow – but the warnings were dismissed by Russian President Putin, who described them as ‘provocative’.
A US intelligence official described how US agencies learned how a cell of ISIS based in Afghanistan was planning an attack in Moscow and shared the information with Russian officials.
Putin dismissed the alerts as an attempt to intimidate the Russians.
US officials say the information was shared privately as recently as three days before gunmen burst into a large concert hall Friday night and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing more than 60 people.
The brazen attack injured more than 100 and set fire to Crocus City Hall in the Russian capital.
US intelligence agencies shared information indicating ISIS was planning an attack in Moscow, but Russian President Putin ignored the warnings
Putin labeled the warnings as ‘provocative’ – the attack resulted in more than 60 deaths and over 100 injuries in a concert hall
Doctors transport a body of a victim, a waiting ambulance near the burning building to the Crocus City Hall on the western outskirts of Moscow
Earlier in March, the US Embassy in Moscow also issued a security alert.
It warned of a potential terrorist attack in Moscow and urged people to avoid crowds and be aware of their surroundings.
“The embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours,” the security alert said on May 7. March.
Concerts were specifically mentioned as a potential target in the US security alert.
It is not clear what prompted the warning or whether it was related to Friday night’s attack.
The U.S. provided the intelligence to Russia under the Duty to Warn requirement — an intelligence community requirement to notify U.S. and non-U.S. groups of potential impending threats.
Earlier this week – and several weeks after the warnings were issued – Putin said the warnings were ‘provocative’.
Multiple gunmen burst into a major concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons into the crowd, injuring more than 100 people and setting a massive fire in an apparent terror attack
Footage on social media shows gunmen dressed in camouflage clothing opening fire with automatic weapons on people at the Crocus City Hall music venue near Moscow
Gunmen can be seen Friday night shooting in a concert hall on the western outskirts of Moscow
People gather near Crocus Town Hall. Early reports indicated that at least 60 people were killed with many more injured as multiple gunmen opened fire on the venue
A massive fire is seen above the Crocus City Hall on the western outskirts of Moscow, Russia
A fire rages inside the Crocus Town Hall in Krasnororsk, Russia
On Friday atThe US embassy issued another warning saying it was ‘aware’ of the attack and urging Americans to avoid the area.
“We strongly condemn the horrific attack that was carried out in a concert hall in Moscow. We express our deepest condolences to the victims’ families, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, has called the incident a ‘terrorist attack’.
“All this looks like direct blackmail and the intention to intimidate and destabilize our society,” President Putin said in a statement on Friday.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement published on affiliated social media channels.
It was not immediately clear what happened to the attackers after the raid.
The attack, which left the concert hall in flames with a collapsing roof, was the deadliest in Russia for years and came as the country’s war in Ukraine dragged into a third year.
People lay flowers and light candles in memory of the victims of the concert gun attack in Moscow
Rescue workers work near the burning concert venue Crocus Rådhus after the shootings
A massive fire is seen above Crocus Town Hall on Friday night after the terrorist attack
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called the raid a ‘tremendous tragedy’.
The Kremlin said Putin was informed minutes after the assailants burst into the Crocus City Hall, a large venue on Moscow’s western edge that can hold 6,200 people.
The attack took place as crowds gathered for a performance by Russian rock band Picnic.
Video showed the building on fire, with a huge plume of smoke rising through the night sky.
The street was illuminated by the flashing blue lights of dozens of fire trucks, ambulances and other emergency vehicles as fire helicopters buzzed overhead to dump water on the blaze, which took hours to contain.
Graphic videos were posted on social media purporting to show the attack unfolding with gunshots and the screams of concertgoers.
Shortly after Friday’s attack, ISIS claimed responsibility, according to a post on Telegram from a new agency affiliated with the terrorist group.
U.S. officials later confirmed that a branch of ISIS, the Islamic State-Khorasan, or ISIS-K, was responsible and had planned an attack.
ISIS-K was known to operate in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran and was active in Russia, two US officials told The Washington Post.