NOS News•today, 11:40
US authorities have warned Russia that the Crocus City Hall near Moscow in particular was a possible target for terrorists. The Washington Post writes this based on information from American officials, who are not mentioned by name in the article. The US is said to have had indications that the Islamic State terrorist organization was planning an attack on the concert hall.
It was already known that Moscow had been warned of an attack, but not that the US had named a specific target. It is not clear whether the US has also reported other potential locations for an attack.
The March 22 massacre left at least 144 people dead and hundreds injured. The US warning was reportedly passed on two weeks before the attack on the concert hall.
Unusual
It is unusual for such specific information about possible attacks to be shared with countries with which the US does not have a good relationship, experts say in the newspaper. The Americans want to prevent it from being discovered where they get their information from.
It is not entirely clear why information was shared this time. There was also a potential danger for Americans in Russia, writes The Washington Post. On March 7, the American embassy in Moscow announced that there were reports of concrete plans to attack large gatherings, such as concerts.
Too general
It is not possible to determine whether the statements of American officials are correct. Moreover, the Russian security services tell a different story. They acknowledge that the US has warned of an attack, but the message is said to have been “too general”. The head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service says that “appropriate measures have been taken to prevent an attack.”
The question is what those measures looked like. Video footage from the concert hall shows that the shooters were able to proceed virtually unhindered.
Russian media also report that it took over an hour for specialist units to arrive at Crocus City Hall and that it then took another half hour to enter the building. The gunmen had already fled. President Putin said yesterday that there will be an investigation into the actions of the authorities.
Ukraine
Responsibility for the attack has been claimed by IS. That claim is considered credible by Western experts and security services.
In Russia there are constant claims that Ukraine was at least involved in the attack. The head of the Russian Security Council said this morning that “traces of the attack lead to the Ukrainian secret services.” There is no evidence to support the accusations and Kyiv denies having anything to do with them.
Several suspects are in custody in Russia for the attack, including the four suspected shooters. They come from Tajikistan.
