ISIS bombs Concert Hall in Moscow; at least 40 reported dead

Moscow, Russia — At an unknown time Friday, two men dressed in camouflage combat gear walked into the Crocus City Hall and opened fire, resulting in mass casualties, hundreds of injuries, and an explosion.

Russia’s prosecutor general claims the death toll is currently unknown, but other sources estimate it to be somewhere around 40-70 with over 100 injuries. The Islamic State in Iraw and Syria (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the attack, but these claims are unfounded as of right now and cannot be confirmed right now.

As well as shooting the place up, the two men reportedly set off a grenade in the building, lighting the building ablaze and damaging the roof of the building and bliding patrons of a concert that was at the venue at the time. Firefighters are currently undergoing efforts to save people from the roof of the building after they saved around 100 people from the basement.

The Ukrainian Government has denied involvement, stating that Ukraine has “never resorted to the use of terrorist methods. . .” and that “. . .Everything in this war will be decided only on the battlefield.” - Mykhailo Podolyak, special advisor to President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. This comes despite many conspiratorial claims from fringe far-right reactionary figures.

This story is still developing, but if the attack is confirmed to be the work of ISIS, it could spell disaster when it comes to Eastern foreign relations and could create further conflict in the region, torn by war and extremist fundamentalism as it is. ISIS, in a statement made by their Amaq news organization, claimed to have struck a large group of Christians in the city of Krasnogorsk of the Moscow Oblast. This would also be one of the largest attacks by ISIS in years, and is a tragic reminder of the groups presence and continued existence despite years of anti-terrorism efforts from most world governments.

Regarding claims made by ISIS, the United States government has confirmed that ISIS is responsible for the attack. The US had collected intelligence that indicated ISIS-Khorasan, the Afghani-based branch of ISIS, would carry out an act of terror on Russia. 

Russia has been a historic ally of several nations in the Middle East, as have several high-ranking members of ISIS, which leaves many wondering why the infamous terror organization would do such a thing to a nation they have so many mutual friends with. Russia has expanded relations with practically every country in the Middle East over the past few decades while acting as a large influence in the Islamic sphere of culture regarding social policy, foreign policy, and war. While ISIS is an independent body, it’s closely affiliated with the governments of many Middle Eastern nations, such as Afghanistani Taliban and other such hyper-religious groups in the region. 

As was stated previously, this could result in a foreign policy disaster and further injury in the already bleeding and broken region of the Middle East. While Russia and Afghanistan (the branch of ISIS that reportedly carried out the attack is headquartered in Afghanistan, as has been previously stated) figure this out together, all many of us can do is sit and watch.

While more information is collected, speculation will be supreme. Be sure to check all your sources and make sure your facts are correct. Misinformation spreads like wildfire, so you must keep a steady mind and do your best to stay informed on the latest developments while you source your material properly and safely.

Article authored by Diana Allar — political contributor and opinion columnist for The Radical Times.