Moscow attack: Suspects charged with terrorism as Putin admits radical Islamists were behind shooting

Four main suspects of the Moscow concert hall shooting, all Tajikistan nationals, appeared to be severely tortured before they were brought to court.

One suspect, identified by the Russian court authorities as the youngest of the four, was wheeled into the courtroom and appeared to be only half conscious. He appeared to have multiple cuts and one of his eyes was missing.

Another had a plastic bag still hanging over his neck and a third man had a heavily bandaged ear. Russian media reported Saturday that one suspect had his ear cut off during an interrogation.

European countries have issued updated warnings following the attack on the Russian concert hall.

The attack renewed attention in Europe on the risk from the extremists, and particularly the Central Asian affiliate, as the continent gears up for big events such as the Paris Olympics and the European Championship in Germany.

Russian authorities have detained seven other suspects for being allegedly involved in the Moscow concert shooting.

Three of them were remanded by the court yesterday on charges based on their alleged involvement. As they mowed down concertgoers with gunfire, the attackers set fire to the vast concert hall, and the resulting blaze caused the roof to collapse, according to reports.

Four main suspects, all Tajikistan nationals, were charged with terrorism by a Russian court on Monday after they were remanded to custody pending the outcome of the official investigation.

Russian media reported that the four were tortured while being interrogated, and they showed signs during their court appearance of having been severely beaten.

Russian officials said all four pleaded guilty to the charges, which carry life punishment, but their condition raised questions about whether their statements might have been coerced.

At a time of combustible geopolitics, with international focus on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, terrorist groups will seek to take advantage of a frayed security landscape, writes Kim Sengupta:

Strong indications that Islamist extremists were planning to carry out an attack – “a spectacular” one in terms of its lethal ambition – had been around for a while. And there was a certain grim inevitability to the massacre of more than 140 people that took place yesterday in Moscow.

Despite relations between Nato and Russia reaching the lowest point since the coldest of times during the Cold War, channels of communication on matters of terrorism have remained active between the Kremlin and a number of Western states.

In the weeks leading up to the tragedy at a Moscow music venue on Friday night, warnings had been relayed to Russia that a terror attack perpetrated by extremists was imminent.

At least 137 people have been killed, while over a hundred more have been wounded with the jihadist group ISIS-K claiming responsibility in a series of videos and messages.

Footage that appears to show the torture of suspects in the Moscow concert hall attack during which more than 130 people were killed is circulating in Russia, although the Kremlin is refusing to answer questions about the videos. A total of 97 people remain in hospital, officials said.

The auditorium at Crocus City Hall was about three-quarters full, with the crowd waiting to see Picnic, a band popular since the Soviet days of the early 1980s. But the concert was sold out in the 6,200-seat hall, so some of the audience was still likely getting food or were shedding their heavy coats in the cloakroom.

It was 7-10 minutes before the start of the show, scheduled for 8 p.m., said concertgoer Dave Primov.

Then came the popping sounds.

“Initially I thought: fireworks or something like that…” Primov told The Associated Press. “I looked at my colleague, and he also said: ‘Fireworks, probably.’”

The suspects, identified by Russian authorities as being from Tajikistan, a Central Asian nation bordering Afghanistan, were allegedly picked up in the Bryansk region about 210 miles southwest of Moscow hours after the attack. Without providing any evidence, Russian president Vladimir Putin claimed they were heading for Ukraine.

Both Ukraine and its western allies, including the US, have denied any involvement in the attack.

Calls mounted on Monday to harshly punish those behind the Russia concert hall attack that killed more than 130 people as authorities combed the burned-out ruins of the shopping and entertainment complex for more bodies.

Four men, charged with carrying out a terrorist attack, appeared in court Sunday night and showed signs of being severely beaten.

Russia’s Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the investigation is still ongoing but vowed that “the perpetrators will be punished, they do not deserve mercy.”