At least 40 people were killed and over 100 others were injured when gunmen opened fire at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall — one of the biggest shopping and entertainment complexes in Russia — on Friday evening, according to the Russian Foreign Security Service.
A large fire began after the shooting which rapidly engulfed the complex.
Russia’s foreign ministry called the incident a “terrorist attack.” It’s the largest terror attack in Central Russia in terms of the number of victims since the Domodedovo airport bombing in January 2011 that killed 37 people and injured 172 others.
The attack began at around 8 p.m. local time when a group of at least 5 gunmen stormed the complex during a concert by the band Picnic and opened fire with automatic weapons, state news outlet RIA Novosti reported. The cause of the subsequent blaze is still unknown.
More than 70 ambulance teams were sent to the sight of the attack, according to Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov said. Two firefighting helicopters are also on the scene trying to put out the fire, which spread over a large area, Vorobyov said.
Of those injured, at least 21 people were hospitalized, Vorobyov said on Telegram.
Rescuers work to extinguish fire at the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following a shooting incident, outside Moscow, Russia, Mar. 22, 2024.
Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
Most of the building is engulfed in fire and the roof partially collapsed, Russian news agency Interfax reported.
Smoke rises above the Crocus City Hall concert venue following a reported shooting incident, on the outskirts of Moscow, March 22, 2024.
Stringer/Reuters
In Podolsk, near Moscow, public events were canceled due to the incident at Crocus City Hall, the head of the district said. The mayor of Moscow also cancelled all “sports, cultural and other mass events,” in Moscow for the weekend.
The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed of the attack when the shooting started and he has been receiving constant updates.
Vehicles of Russian emergency services are parked near the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following a reported shooting incident, outside Moscow, March 22, 2024.
Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
An advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, denied any Ukrainian involvement in the attack in a post on X. Two pro-Ukrainian Russian military groups that recently launched a cross-border incursion into Russia have also both denied any involvement in the attack.
The White House is aware of the incident in Moscow, but has limited information as of now, according to National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby.
“The images are just horrible. And just hard to watch, and our thoughts, obviously, are going to be with the — the victims of this terrible, terrible shooting attack,” Kirby said.
Kirby also reiterated the State Department’s warning that all Americans in Moscow should avoid large gatherings, saying “they should stay put where they are, and stay plugged into the State Department for any additional updates and information.” The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said on Telegram Friday it is “horrified by reports of the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall venue in Moscow.”
The statement continues: “We offer our sincere condolences to the Russian people for the lives lost and to those injured in tonight’s attack.”
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow had issued a warning on March 7, advising U.S. citizens to avoid large gatherings for 48 hours, saying extremists have “imminent plans” to target large scale gatherings in Moscow.