A deadly attack on a concert hall near Moscow was carried out by radical Islamists on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday, claiming they had tried to flee to Ukraine.
“We know that the crime was committed by radical Islamists who have an ideology against which the Islamic world itself has been fighting for centuries,” Putin said at a cabinet meeting, mentioning such a link for the first time, three days after Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.
“We know who committed this crime against Russia and its people. What interests us is who ordered it,” he added.
According to Putin, the attackers tried to flee towards Ukraine.
“It is important to answer the question why did the terrorists try to go to Ukraine after the crime? Who was waiting for them there?” said the Russian president, while Kyiv denies any involvement in the attack.
The number of victims of the attack in Moscow increased to 139 on Monday, announced the head of the Russian Investigative Commission, Aleksandr Bastrikin.
He added that the number of injured in the attack remained unchanged, i.e. 182.
Putin said those who planned the attack hoped to sow panic and discord in Russian society, but he says they encountered unity and determination to resist evil, Hina news agency writes.
