Putin says all four suspects arrested after at least 133 killed in Moscow concert attack

1. At least 133 people were killed and more than 140 injured when gunmen attacked a packed concert venue on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia says
2. A large fire engulfed the roof of the complex and dramatic video shows panicked concertgoers taking cover as shots and explosions ring out
3. Russian President Vladimir Putin says all four gunmen have been arrested, and that the suspects were trying to flee to Ukraine - Kyiv says allegations of Ukrainian involvement are "absurd"
4. Putin calls the attack a "barbaric terrorist act" and announces a day of national mourning for 24 March
5. Muscovites are queuing to give blood for those injured and flower tributes have been placed at the scene of the attack
6. The US says it's credible that the Islamic State group could be behind the attack, after the group said it did it. Russia has not commented

In pictures: Wreckage shows destruction in concert hall

A short while ago, the Russian authorities revised the death toll after saying more bodies had been found in some sections of the destroyed Crocus City Hall in Moscow, which was engulfed by fire last night.

We've just been seeing some of the latest pictures, released by the Russian emergencies ministry, from inside the concert hall.

The images show firefighters combing through debris in the destroyed auditorium.

Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations

The roof reportedly collapsed when the attackers set fire to some sections of the hall.

Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations

Only the metal structures that used to hold up the walls of the hall and the skeletons of the seats remain.

Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations

Ukraine disputes Russian claim that attackers planned to cross border

Sarah Rainsford

BBC Eastern Europe Correspondent in Kyiv

As we've recently been reporting, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has issued a statement claiming that those involved in the Moscow Crocus City attack were planning to cross the border with Ukraine, and that they had "contacts" on the Ukrainian side.

Ukraine has called the accusation "absurd".

A spokesperson for the Ukrainian military intelligence directorate - Andriy Yusov – told the BBC that the border area with Ukraine is "full of special services and military. Also the latest events in Belgorod region and Kursk – where there is military activity - mean this is a frontline".

"To suggest the suspects were heading to Ukraine, would suggest they were stupid or suicidal."

Last night, Ukrainian military intelligence claimed the whole attack was a planned operation by Moscow, in order to blame Ukraine – escalate the war – and get support for mobilising (a reluctant) population to fight.

Witness films escape from Moscow attack

Video footage verified by the BBC from a woman who captured the moment she and others are seen racing to flee the Crocus City Hall concert hall has been shared online.

Originally seven minutes in length, the video has been edited down to show her escape route.

A warning that this video contains distressing scenes.

Witness video shows escape from Moscow attack

BreakingDeath toll rises to 115

The death toll from last night's attack on Crocus City Hall has now risen to 115, the Russian Investigative Committee says.

According to a post on the Telegram messaging app that the committee shared, emergency services who are clearing the rubble at the concert venue have found more dead bodies at the site.

"The death toll currently stands at 115 people," it has said, adding that the search is continuing.

IS group yet to clarify which branch behind Moscow attack

BBC Monitoring

While the Islamic State (IS) group has said it's behind last night's attack on the concert hall outside Moscow, it has yet to announce which of its global branches was responsible for the operation.

This is because the initial claim on 22 March came through the group's news outlet Amaq, which does not habitually give information about the affiliated branch behind attacks.

The group is likely to claim the attack in the name of its Caucasus province branch, which is one of the least active of IS's global affiliates.

Some analysts and authorities in Europe, however, have for months now been speculating about the growing ambitions of the IS group's Afghanistan-focused Khorasan province branch (IS-K or ISIS-K), which is believed to have Russian-speaking Central Asians in its ranks.

Attackers had contacts with Ukraine, Russia's security service claims

Laura Gozzi

Europe reporter

The attackers who were detained in the Bryansk region earlier this morning were "intending to cross over to Ukraine" and had "contacts on the Ukrainian side", Russia's security agency has said, according to Russian state-owned news agency Ria Novosti.

It was widely expected that Russia would attempt to link Ukraine to the attacks, and the FSB's claim cannot at this stage be independently verified.

When news of the attack broke last night, Mykhailo Podolyak - an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky - categorically denied Ukrainian involvement, saying his country had "absolutely nothing to do with these events".

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has been at war with its neighbour ever since.

Nothing can ever justify such horrific violence - Lord Cameron

Reuters

Western leaders have publicly condemned the Moscow concert hall attack in which at least 93 people were killed by gunmen.

We've just been hearing from the UK's Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron, who says:

The UK condemns in the strongest terms the deadly terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall near Moscow. We offer our heartfelt condolences and express our deepest sympathy to the families of the many victims. Nothing can ever justify such horrific violence."

We've also been hearing from the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz:

We condemn the terrible terrorist attack on innocent concertgoers in Moscow. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims and all those injured."

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also been speaking and condemns in the "strongest possible terms" last night's deadly attack, according to his spokesperson.

Guterres "conveys his deep condolences to the bereaved families and the people and the Government of the Russian Federation", he adds in his statement.

What has Putin said about Moscow shooting?

Steve Rosenberg

BBC Russia editor

EPA

Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to make any public statement about the Moscow concert hall attack, the deadliest in Russia for nearly two decades.

The Kremlin said the head of Russia's security service had informed Putin about the 11 arrests made today, including four people directly involved in the attack.

According to one of his deputies, Putin has wished those injured a speedy recovery.

Earlier this month, the US embassy in Moscow warned of "extremists" having imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, including concerts, and as the BBC's Security correspondent Gordon Corera explains, that warning appears to have been dismissed by Russian officials.

And what was President Putin's reaction at the time? He called such warnings from the West, "open blackmail, an attempt to scare and destabilise [Russian] society".

I wonder what the Kremlin leader is thinking now.

Flammable liquid used to set concert hall on fire, Russia says

We've just received the full statement from the Russian Investigative Committee, which in addition to upping the death toll to 93, and warning that that number might rise, said:

• The concert hall is still being inspected, with emergency services working to clear the rubble, seize evidence and go through CCTV footage
• The attackers used flammable liquid to set fire to sections of the concert hall
• The causes of death of the 93 victims were gunshot wounds and poisoning by combustion products
• The attackers are believed to have used automatic weapons, leaving behind ammunition

• Ballistic, genetic and fingerprint examinations are now being carried out

Recap: What's been happening?

VASILY PRUDNIKOV/EPA-EFE

If you’re just joining us, here's what we know so far about Friday's attack in the Russian capital:

• At least 93 people are dead and more than 140 have been wounded after gunmen open fired at a rock concert at Crocus City Hall in a suburb of Moscow on Friday evening local time, Russian intelligence says
• Four people directly involved in the attack are among 11 arrested, Russia's security chief has told President Vladimir Putin this morning
• The US says it's credible that an affiliate of the Islamic State group could be behind the attack, after the group said they carried out the attack.

• The White House also says it warned Russia of a potential attack on "large gatherings" in Moscow earlier this month. Russia has not commented
• Ukraine - currently at war with Russia - has denied any involvement

• The Kremlin says Putin has been briefed on what happened - he has not addressed the nation directly, but according to a deputy has wished those injured a speedy recovery

• Security has tightened across Russia, with events cancelled as the country's national guard searches for the attackers and dispatches its investigators to the site

BreakingDeath toll rises to 93, Russia says

Laura Gozzi

Europe reporter

We now know that the number of people killed in last night’s attack on the Crocus City Hall has risen to at least 93, with the number expected to go up, according to the Russian Investigative Committee.

BreakingFour people involved in Moscow attack arrested - Russian media

Four people involved in the Moscow concert hall attack are among 11 detained, the FSB Security Service chief tells President Vladimir Putin, Russian news agencies are reporting.

In pictures: Weapons suspected to have been used in attack shared

The Investigative Committee of Russia has shared pictures showing that ammunition and weapons believed to have been used in the attack last night.

Reuters

Members of the Investigative Committee of Russia work at the scene of the deadly shooting attack in Crocus City Hall

Reuters

Shattered glass lies at the scene of the deadly shooting attack in Crocus City Hall

EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

A Kalashnikov assault rifle lies on the ground as Russian investigators work inside Crocus City Hall concert venue

EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Russian investigators examine ammunition inside Crocus City Hall

Who are the Islamic State group?

The group calling itself Islamic State, which is sometimes referred as ISIS, once held 34,000 sq miles (88,000 sq km) of territory stretching from north-eastern Syria across northern Iraq and imposed its brutal rule on almost eight million people.

The group was driven from its last piece of territory in 2019, but the UN said in February that tackling the threat created by IS is still a priority and they are expanding in Africa. Last week, the US warned that IS remains a persistent threat.

It is estimated that IS last year had between 6,000 and 10,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq, based mostly in rural areas, who continue to carry out hit-and-run attacks, ambushes and roadside bombings.

IS regional affiliates also pose threats in other conflict zones across the world.

Deadliest attack in Russia for nearly 20 years

Steve Rosenberg

BBC Russia editor

At least 60 people were killed in the bloodbath at Crocus City Hall – a prominent concert venue near Moscow.

This was the deadliest attack in Russia for nearly 20 years.

At the scene of the mass shooting, investigators worked through the night to gather evidence, including abandoned weapons and ammunition left by the gunmen.

As for the attackers, Russian officials have said very little about who they were – or where they are. There were indications last night that they had escaped and that police were trying to hunt them down.

A branch of the Islamic State group says it carried out the attack. Moscow has yet to comment on that claim. And President Vladimir Putin has yet to make any public comment on the attack.

In Moscow, and other towns and cities across Russia this morning, electronic billboards are showing a single burning candle and the word “Skorbim” - We mourn.”

Recap: BBC Verify examines witness videos

If you're just joining us this morning, here's BBC Verify's Merlyn Thomas with an examination of the dramatic videos taken in and around the hall during the Crocus City Hall attack. We're republishing to bring you up to date with what we know.

Moscow concert hall attack videos examined

China and India send condolences over Russia attack

President Xi Jinping of China has sent his "condolences" to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over the Crocus City Hall attack, state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

Xi "stressed that China opposes all form of terrorism, strongly condemns the terrorist attack and firmly supports the Russian government's efforts to safeguard its national security and stability", it said.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi meanwhile condemned the "heinous terrorist attack", adding in a post on Twitter/X that his country stood "in solidarity with the government and the people of the Russian Federation in this hour of grief".

Russian response to attack will be 'extreme violence'

Matthew Sussex, an expert on Russia and an associate professor at the Australian National University, has been speaking to BBC News about why Islamic State would attack Russia - and what it would do in response.

"Russia has a long history of treating many of the people on its own territory who are Muslims not particularly well," he tells the BBC.

"We have had two wars in Chechnya... the second 1999 to 2006 was something of a radicalised war in which you did have people who went on to fight with Islamic State against the Russian government.

"Since then, Russia's activities in Syria have made Islamic State see the Russian government as a primary threat."

He says he expects the Russian response to the Crocus Hall attack to be one of "extreme violence", citing the aftermath of the 2002 Moscow theatre siege and 2004 Beslan school siege as examples.

"Perhaps it's not so important who carried out the attacks but who the Russian government decides is to blame and who they are going to respond against."

He says the US warning about a potential attack, issued on 7 March, was treated by the Kremlin as an attempt to "meddle" in its recent general election and its internal affairs.

Getty Images

Chechens walk past buildings shattered in the first Chechen war

What we know about the attack

It's nearing 05:00 GMT in London (08:00 in Moscow). Here's what we know about yesterday's attack:

• At least 60 people are dead and more than 100 are wounded after gunmen open fired at a rock concert at Crocus City Hall in a suburb of Moscow on Friday, Russian intelligence says
• A large fire broke out in the building, causing part of the roof near the theatre to collapse, but is now said to be mostly extinguished

• Islamic State group has claimed it carried out the attack, and said those responsible escaped.
• The US says there is no reason to doubt this claim, with the White House saying it warned Russia of a potential attack on "large gatherings" in Moscow earlier this month
• Russia has not commented
• Ukraine - currently at war with Russia - has denied any involvement
• Video footage obtained by the BBC shows the attackers firing indiscriminately at screaming civilians trying to run away while several explosions can be heard
• Security has tightened with events cancelled across Russia as the county's national guard searches for the attackers
• President Putin has not addressed the nation directly, but according to a deputy has wished those injured a speedy recovery.

Crocus City Hall - the venue that hosted Trump's Miss Universe

Getty Images

Russian singer Emin Agalarov, left, with Donald Trump and Aras Agalarov at the Miss Universe red carpet in 2013

Crocus City Hall has hosted several famous faces since opening in 2009, including Donald Trump when he brought his Miss Universe beauty pageant to Russia in 2013.

Trump at the time said he had invited President Vladimir Putin to the event, but the Russian leader did not show up.

The venue was built by Azerbaijani property developer Aras Agalarov and his son, Emin Agalarov, who is also a singer.

Soon after the 2013 pageant, Trump made a cameo appearance in one of Emin's music videos.

In 2016, the singer arranged a now-infamous meeting between Trump's campaign team and a Russian lawyer who had offered damaging information on Hilary Clinton in the lead up to the US presidential election.

Among those to also perform at Crocus is British comedian Eddie Izzard, who took a solo show in English there in 2013.