Gunmen dressed in camouflage have stormed a music venue in Moscow, killing at least 40 people and injuring 100 others. The venue was hosting a performance by the rock band Picnic when the attack took place on the evening of 22 March. The incident is being treated as a terrorist attack by Russian authorities, according to the BBC. It is understood that four assailants opened fire at the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk. A further statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry described the incident as a “terrorist attack”.
The venue’s roof has collapsed and is now ablaze, with reports indicating that some concertgoers could still be inside the building. According to news reports, panic and chaos broke out during the attack, with video footage showing the terrified audience members taking cover amidst gunfire and explosions. The music venue has the capacity for 6,200 concertgoers and was reportedly sold out for the event that night.
The motive for the attack remains unknown. However, Russian authorities are treating the incident as a terrorist attack and investigations are ongoing. A spokesperson for the Investigative Committee, Russia’s top investigative agency, said they were treating the events as a “terrorist attack”. This is not the first time such an incident has occurred at a music venue; in 2015, 86 people were killed and over 400 injured during an attack on the Bataclan theatre in Paris.
The attack is a reminder of the vulnerability of soft targets such as music venues to acts of terror. Concert organisers have increasingly had to tighten security in response to threats from terrorist groups. The attack has also sparked concern over the safety of concerts going forward, with many people now calling for increased security measures and increased awareness of the potential dangers posed by such attacks
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