Russia claims Tajiks involved in Moscow suburb terrorist attack
Photo: Russia claims that Tajiks were involved in the terrorist attack near Moscow (Getty Images)
Russia has claimed that citizens of Tajikistan are allegedly involved in the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall shopping center in the Moscow suburbs. Photos of the suspected individuals have surfaced online, reports Russian Telegram channel Baza.
As reported by Russian media, allegedly, two suspects have been detained in the Bryansk region. The vehicle with possible attackers was apprehended not far from the border of Belarus and Ukraine. According to online sources, there were six individuals in the car, and four of them supposedly managed to escape.
At the same time, Russian media have pinned responsibility for the shooting on citizens of Tajikistan. As written online, Russian law enforcement has circulated identifications with photos of the potential assailants. Among them are:
- Shokhindzhonn Safolzoda, 21 years old;
- Rustam Nazarov, 29 years old;
- Rivozhidin Ismonov, 51 years old;
- Makhmadrasul Nasridinov, 37 years old.
They were registered in the Yaroslavl, Ivanovo, and Samara regions of the Russian Federation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan has already responded to the statements made by Russian media. They stated that they had not received official confirmation from Moscow.
"We emphasize that the Tajik side has not received confirmation from the official authorities of Russia regarding the currently circulating fake information about the involvement of Tajikistan citizens. Therefore, we urge reliance on official information disseminated by Russian government bodies," the statement reads.
What is known about the terrorist attack
In the evening on Friday, March 22, in the city of Krasnogorsk in the Moscow region, several armed men in camouflage opened fire in the Crocus City Hall shopping center. Initially, it was reported that there were 40 fatalities and 100 injured individuals.
As of the morning of March 23, Russian media report 83 fatalities.
Some media outlets have claimed that the attack was orchestrated by the ISIS group. However, other sources refute this information.
The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has labeled the attack as a planned and deliberate provocation by Russian special services under the direction of dictator Vladimir Putin.
