At least 144 people were killed when gunmen attacked the Crocus concert hall outside Moscow in March. Several have been arrested by the Russian authorities in connection with the attack for which the Afghan branch of the Islamic terrorist organization IS has claimed responsibility.
Earlier in March, the United States warned Russia that extremist groups were planning to attack Moscow in the near future.
If Russian spy chief Sergei Naryshkin is to be believed, the warning was too vague.
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Russia: Not sufficient
Naryshkin heads Russia’s foreign intelligence service SVR. He claims the US did not give Russia information that could make a significant difference.
– The information was too general and did not make it possible for us to identify those who committed this terrible crime, he says according to the Moscow Times, which refers to the state-run Russian news agency Interfax.
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SVR has accused the US authorities of trying to direct the focus towards IS and away from Ukraine when it comes to links to the attack.
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Putin: – We have paid a very high price
Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the American warning and has claimed that the purpose of the warning was to destabilize Russian society.
Russian authorities have previously claimed that the Moscow attackers are extreme Islamists with ties to what they refer to as Ukrainian nationalists, without being able to prove that there is any kind of link between those arrested and the Ukrainian authorities.
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On Tuesday, Putin promised that the authorities will find those behind the attack.
– We have paid a very high price, and the entire investigation into the situation must be extremely objective and professional, the president said, according to the Moscow Times.
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Since the attack, there have been several reports of arrests in the case.
Several perpetrators shot around in the Crocus concert hall. outside Moscow on March 22. The terrorist attack is among the deadliest in Russia in several years. Photo: Sergej Vedyashkin / Moscow News Agency / AP / NTB
Iran warned
Kremlin ally Iran is also said to have warned Russia of a possible major terrorist attack on Russian soil ahead of the attack that took place on 22 March.
Several relevant sources inform Reuters.
– Days before the attack in Russia, Tehran shared information with Moscow about a possible major terrorist attack inside Russia. The information was acquired during interrogation of those arrested in connection with deadly bomb attacks in Iran, says one of the sources, according to the news agency.
The source referred to the terrorist attack in the city of Kerman in January. Iran arrested 35 people in connection with the attack, including a leader from the Afghan branch of IS.
