Crocus City Hall attack
On 22 March 2024, a terrorist attack which was carried out by the Islamic State (IS) occurred at the Crocus City Hall music venue in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast, Russia.
| Crocus City Hall attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Islamic State insurgency in the North Caucasus | |
The Crocus City Hall auditorium after the terrorist attack. March 25 | |
| Location | Crocus City Hall, Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast, Russia |
| Coordinates | 55°49′33″N 37°23′25″E |
| Date | 22 March 2024 19:58–20:11 (MSK) |
Attack type | |
| Weapons |
|
| Deaths | 145 |
| Injured | 551 |
| Perpetrators | Islamic State – Khorasan Province |
No. of participants | 4 |
| Motive | Islamic extremism, contract killing (alleged) |
| Charges | Terrorism |
The attack began at around 20:00 MSK (UTC+3), shortly before the Russian band Picnic was scheduled to play a sold-out show at the venue. Four gunmen carried out a mass shooting, as well as slashing attacks on the people gathered at the venue, and used incendiary devices to set the venue on fire. Investigators said the attack had killed 145 people (including those who died later in hospital), and more than 551 concertgoers were injured by gunshot wounds and fire-related injuries. On 28 March, Russian authorities also claimed that a further 95 people were missing.
The IS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement through the IS-affiliated Amaq News Agency shortly after the attack, with its regional branch in the Afghanistan–Pakistan border region, Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS–KP or ISIS-K), most likely being responsible. Amaq also published a video filmed by one of the attackers. It showed the attackers shooting victims and slitting the throat of a victim, while the filming attacker was reciting the takbir, praising God and speaking against infidels.
Russian president Vladimir Putin called the attack a "barbaric terrorist act" and said that the gunmen had been arrested. He also declared 24 March 2024 to be a national day of mourning, and sought to link assailants to Ukraine. Russia's Foreign Ministry called the incident a terrorist attack. It was the deadliest terrorist attack on Russian soil since the Beslan school siege in 2004. Investigators detained 11 people in relation to the attack, including four suspects, who were charged with terrorism later on 24 March.