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Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has vowed to punish perpetrators of the Friday concert attack, describing the situation as is a barbaric act of terrorism.
He made these known in a public address he delivered on Saturday in Moscow, Russia’s capital.
Recall, on Friday, gunmen in camouflage clothing opened fire on people at a concert in the Crocus City Hall near Moscow.
At least five gunmen were shown in unverified videos firing repeatedly at screaming civilians cowering in the concert hall as Soviet-era rock group “Picnic” was about to perform, according to Reuters.
Reacting, Putin, in a five-minute televised address, claimed that someone in Ukraine had tried to help the attackers escape across the border from Russia before they were apprehended by Russian security services.
“The main thing now is to prevent those who were behind this bloody massacre from committing new crimes,” Putin added.
Meanwhile, Russia has arrested 11 people, including all four gunmen suspected of carrying out the attack, the head of the country’s Federal Security Service stated in a statement.
At least 133 people are now known to have been killed as more bodies were found in the rubble, Russia’s Investigative Committee revealed on Saturday morning.
The Russian Investigative Committee said more bodies were found as emergency responders cleared the rubble from the fiery attack at the Crocus City Hall concert hall. The search operation at the venue is still underway.
At least 107 people, including three children, are currently in Moscow hospitals with injuries, according to the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Government, Tatyana Golikova.
