Attack on Moscow: the Islamic State has published an image of the four alleged perpetrators

The terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) was released this Saturday an image of the four alleged perpetrators of Friday’s attack on a concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow, which left at least 133 dead.

The image was broadcast by the Amaq agency – the organization’s main propaganda channel – and shows four people with half their faces covered, hats and pixelated eyes in front of a large Islamic State flag.

According to Amaq, three of these alleged terrorists “they started shooting into the crowd” at the Crocus City Hall concert hall, while the fourth set fire to the building “using incendiary bombs that had been prepared in advance for that purpose.”

The agency explained that during the attack, machine guns, a pistol, firebombs and knives -used to “cut the throats of several men inside the room and in the corridors”- while, according to him, the alleged jihadists aimed at the heads of those present at the event.

Likewise, Amaq celebrated that the attack caused “an infinite number of victims” and estimated the number of dead and wounded at 300, while indicating that the attack was carried out “in the normal context of war between the Islamic State and the countries fighting against Islam”.

According to Russian investigators, most of the deaths in the Crocus room occurred from gunshot wounds and asphyxiation due to smoke from the fire set by the attackers.

The Russian site Baza reports it the terrorists deliberately set fire to the emergency exits to lock people inside Crocus. This was stated by sources linked to emergency services officers, who analyzed the actions of the terrorists.

They concluded that the criminals did not set fire to the building at random, but rather chose locations near emergency exits. In some doors several people lay, almost like a mountain. For this reason the doors would not open and had to be forced open.

The same media claim that investigators were working to search for cell phones in the rubble, with the hypothesis of finding one belonging to the terrorists who participated in the attack.

Putin did not mention ISIS by name, but spoke of a terrorist attack

Nineteen hours after the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that “all those responsible will be punished” and denounced that Ukraine “provided the path” to the attackers. Furthermore, he compared the murderers to the Nazis and declared March 24 a day of mourning throughout the country.

In the middle of his recorded message broadcast on local television, the president said he faces “not just a cynical and carefully planned terrorist attack, but a prepared and organized mass murder of peaceful and defenseless people.” However he did not name ISIS, despite the fact that one faction claimed responsibility for last night’s attack.

“In cold blood they went and shot at our citizens, at our children as the Nazis did before in the occupied territories. This is a specific action to spread terror. All those responsible will be punished. Whatever their leader, we will punish all those who stand behind these terrorists and prepared the attack against our population”, underlined the President of the Russian Federation.

“We know what the threat of terrorism is. We count on the support of all states that share our point of view and are ready to join forces against terrorism. Only one fate awaits inhumane terrorists: punishment. No, we have not future,” he said.