India Conveys "Deepest Condolences" To Russia Over Moscow Terror Attack

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and conveyed his condolences on the loss of lives in the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall in Moscow, which claimed 133 lives.

In a post on X, Mr Jaishankar stated, "Spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Conveyed our deepest condolences on the loss of lives in the horrific terrorist attack in Moscow."

Spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Conveyed our deepest condolences on the loss of lives in the horrific terrorist attack in Moscow.

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (Modi Ka Parivar) (@DrSJaishankar) March 24, 2024

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the terror attack inside a packed concert hall in Moscow, calling it a 'heinous act' and expressing solidarity with the Russian government and its people.

"We strongly condemn the heinous terrorist attack in Moscow. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims. India stands in solidarity with the government and the people of the Russian Federation in this hour of grief," PM Modi posted from his X handle.

The toll from the heinous attack at the Crocus City Hall music venue near Moscow, which the ISIS claimed credit for, stood at 133 on Sunday, Russia-based TASS reported, citing the Russian Investigative Committee.

The tragic events unfolded on Friday evening at Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, on the western outskirts of the Russian capital. The concert venue, with an estimated capacity of 7,500, was almost full when the terrorists struck. The assault took place ahead of a performance by the Russian rock band Picnic, RT news agency reported.

According to the mobile phone footage and eyewitness accounts, at least five gunmen wearing military-style gear and carrying assault rifles first opened fire at unarmed security guards at the main entrance to the venue.

They then proceeded to shoot indiscriminately at the fleeing crowd of panicked visitors. Once the terrorists reached the concert hall, they appeared to set fire to rows of chairs inside, with the blaze quickly engulfing much of the building, including its roof.

Investigators have stated that preliminary findings based on evidence at the scene appear to confirm that the terrorists used automatic weapons during the attack, and used some sort of flammable liquid to set fire to the premises.

The Investigative Committee said it is now carrying out ballistic, genetic, and fingerprint analysis based on the material evidence found at the scene. According to CNN report, the ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack at the concert venue complex in Russia.

Meanwhile, the Russian intelligence agencies detained 11 people, including four 'terrorists', who they claimed were 'directly' involved in a terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall, TASS reported citing Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) statement on Saturday.

"The activities of intelligence and law enforcement agencies have resulted in the detention of 11 people, including four terrorists, who directly participated in the terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall," the statement read.

Following the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to punish terrorists after they carried out an attack at the Crocus City Hall music venue in the city of Krasnogorsk, near Moscow, on Friday evening (local time), which claimed 115 lives.

In his televised address to the nation posted by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on X, Putin said, "Our people, our children, just like the Nazis that once killed our people during the war. They do the same. All the orchestrators, all those who are responsible for this crime will inevitably be found responsible, they will pay. We will identify everyone who stands behind these terrorists and they will pay. This is a strike against Russia."

He said that Russia will investigate the terrorist attack and added that all four perpetrators who were directly involved in the attack were apprehended. He asserted that the investigative authorities will make every effort to identify the details of the attack. Russian President said that these criminals went specifically to kill people, "point black."

Putin said, "We will investigate this terrorist attack and we already have some results. All the four perpetrators, who were directly involved who were gunning people down, killing people. They were found and apprehended. They tried to escape. They were moving towards the border with Ukraine and we have data that suggests that they were about to be moved towards the territory of Ukraine by those in Ukraine."

"Our military services, our emergency services, our investigators are working on finding out the orchestrators of this terrorist attack, those who gave them transportation, who gave them weapons, etc. The investigative authorities will do everything to identify all details of this crime. But it's already evident that we face not just a cynically organized terrorist attack, but a massive mass killing of civilians. These perpetrators, these criminals went specifically to kill, to kill people, point blank," he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)