Involved in attack in Moscow?
Nine Tajiks arrested on suspicion of terrorism
March 29, 2024, 3:48 p.m
Tajik passports are discovered on the suspects of the terrorist attack in Moscow. Reason enough to look for other people involved in the former Soviet republic. Nine men are now arrested. However, the Kremlin still believes in other clients.
A week after the terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall event center in northwest Moscow, according to Russian state media, there were also arrests in the Central Asian republic of Tajikistan. Nine men who had connections to the terrorists imprisoned in Moscow were arrested in a suburb of the Tajik capital Dushanbe, the state agency Ria Novosti reported. Russian forces were also involved in the arrest. The agency relied on its own contacts with security circles. Meanwhile, the number of deaths rose to 144 and the number of injured to 382, according to Russian authorities.
According to the Kremlin, after the attack on Friday last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Tajik colleague Emomali Rakhmon agreed on closer cooperation in the fight against terrorism during a telephone conversation. Rahmon condemned the attack and said terror has no nationality and no religion. Tajikistan, which borders Afghanistan, is said to be a refuge for Islamist terrorists. The terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack. According to Russian state media, the suspected gunmen had Tajik passports with them.
Russia arrests 20 men
Four men who are said to have shot and set fires at Crocus City Hall are in custody, according to Russian investigators. There were also further arrests and arrest warrants, the total number of which is now around 20. Putin had confirmed that Islamists were said to have carried out the terrorist attack. But he sees a Ukrainian trace. The men were expected in Ukraine after the crime, he said without providing any evidence.
Ukraine denies involvement in the attack. On Thursday, the Russian Central Investigative Committee announced that equipment had allegedly been seized from the suspects that was said to prove a connection to Ukrainian nationalists. Accordingly, secured data traffic should show that money flowed to the men. In a video clip shown by Russian state media, one of the alleged perpetrators said that he had been promised the equivalent of 5,000 euros for the crime. He had half of it transferred to his credit card in advance, but he didn’t know from whom. The authenticity of the video could not be verified.