After the attack near Moscow
Three more terror suspects are taken into custody
March 25, 2024, 7:56 p.m
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At least 137 people die in the attack at Crocus City Hall near Moscow. Four men who are said to have shot are already in custody – with clear signs of torture. The judiciary is now issuing arrest warrants against three more suspects.
After the fatal terrorist attack on visitors to a concert hall near Moscow, the Russian judiciary has imposed pre-trial detention on three other people involved. The Basmanny District Court of the Russian capital made this decision in the afternoon, state agency Tass reported. According to media reports, one of the three men, Dilovar Islomov, is said to be the owner of the car in which the shooters left the crime scene after the attack. This means that seven terror suspects are now in custody, including the four suspected shooters.
In the attack, four men opened fire on visitors to the Crocus City Hall and then set the concert hall on fire. At least 137 people died and the total number of injured was 182. A total of eleven suspects were arrested after the attack last Friday.
The four alleged main perpetrators appeared before the judge on Sunday evening. There were injuries on their bodies that indicated torture by Russian security forces. One of the men could no longer walk on his own and, according to reports, lost consciousness again and again. Videos had previously circulated on social networks showing how the suspected attackers were tortured and one of them even had his ear cut off.
Human rights activists denounce torture of suspects
Human rights activists condemned the torture of the suspects. “The answer to barbarism must not be barbarism,” said the Russian association “Komanda protiw pytok” (German: Team Against Torture). Violence and harassment also had an extremely negative impact on the investigation, the activists emphasized: “We have always said and will always say that the value of evidence that security forces obtain through torture is critically low. Instead of the truth, a person usually tells the thing that can stop or at least interrupt this torture.” Forced confessions could lead the investigation in a completely wrong direction.
Torturing prisoners also increases the willingness to use violence in society, according to the Russian human rights activists from “Komanda protiw pytok”. According to the organization, in Russia, where repression has been steadily increasing, particularly since the beginning of the war against Ukraine more than two years ago, torture occurs again and again – but mostly behind closed doors. “This time we witnessed not only a monstrous terrorist attack, but also public torture. This is a method of paralyzing people through fear and turning the entire society into indirect victims of violence.”
The terrorist militia Islamic State has already claimed responsibility for the attack last Friday several times. Western security authorities and experts believe the confession is credible and suspect the IS offshoot Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISPK) was behind the attack. Meanwhile, Russian propaganda attempts to establish an alleged connection with Ukraine, against which Russia has been waging a brutal war of aggression for more than two years. However, there is no evidence for this claim. The Ukrainian leadership has also strictly rejected the allegations.