Russia on Sunday (Mar 24) charged four suspects with acts of terrorism in connection to the tragic attack at a concert hall outside Moscow, which on Friday night (Mar 22) killed 137 people.
The suspects
As per a Reuters report citing Moscow Basmanny district courts’ official Telegram channel, the suspects have been named as Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, Shamsidin Fariduni, and Muhammadsobir Fayzov.
The men, whom the Russian media identified as being citizens of the ex-Soviet republic of Tajikistan living in the country, would be remanded in pre-trial custody until May 22.
Reportedly, three of the four had pleaded guilty to all charges. One of them, as per Reuters, said he was promised half a million roubles (a little over $5,000) to carry out the attack.
In video footage published by Russian media and Telegram channels with close ties to the Kremlin, the suspect can be seen saying he did it “For money.”
Following the circulation of unverified and brutal videos of the suspects’ interrogations on social media, courtroom images published by Russian media have revealed disturbing physical conditions of the suspects.
One of the suspects was seen being brought in on a wheelchair, appearing to be missing an eye. Another had a bandage where his right ear should be, while a third had a black eye and a ripped plastic bag around his neck. The fourth suspect, with a swollen face, seemed disoriented and struggled to keep his eyes open.
As per Russian President Vladimir Putin, 11 people, including the four suspected gunmen, have been detained. The attackers, he said, made their way to the Bryansk region, about 340 km (210 miles) southwest of Moscow.
“They tried to hide and moved towards Ukraine, where, according to preliminary data, a window was prepared for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the state border,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has denied any role in the attack, for which Islamic State has claimed responsibility.
Deadliest attack
On Friday, just before Soviet-era rock group Picnic was to perform its hit “Afraid of Nothing” four armed men burst into Crocus City Hall, a 6,200-seat concert hall outside Moscow, unleashing a barrage of gunfire with their automatic weapons in short bursts. The attackers killed 137 people, including three children, while another 182 were injured.
This attack was the deadliest attack inside Russia for two decades. Previously, in 2004, a siege at Beslan school had claimed 300 lives — more than half of them children.