Terrorist Groups, Ukrainian Intel Probed for Having Hand in Crocus Attack - Moscow

Russian investigators are probing terrorist organizations Ukraine's special services for involvement in organizing and financing the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall, the Russian Investigative Committee said on Friday.

"The implementation of a set of investigative actions and operational measures to verify the involvement of representatives of the Ukrainian special services and international Islamist terrorist organizations in the organization and financing of the terrorist attack continues," the committee wrote on Telegram.

Russian investigators have obtained data from the mobile phones of those accused of the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall near Moscow, who tried to destroy the devices, the Russian Investigative Committee said on Friday.

"The investigation obtained data from the mobile phones of those accused of committing the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall ... The results of an expert study of the mobile phones that the terrorists tried to destroy made it possible to obtain information that is significant for the investigation about the circumstances of the preparation for the crime," the committee wrote on Telegram.

Photos of people in camouflage with the Ukrainian flag near destroyed houses and a Ukrainian postage stamp with an obscene gesture were found in the phone of the one of those accused, the committee said, adding that this may indicate a link between the terrorist attack and Russia’s special military operation.

"On the morning of February 24, 2024, that is, on the anniversary of the start of the special military operation, at the direction of the curator, one of the accomplices found on internet resources and sent him screenshots of images of the entrances to the Crocus City Hall building and the access roads to it," the committee said.

On March 22, several armed men broke into Crocus City Hall and started shooting at people. They also started a fire in one of the auditoriums, which was full of people ahead of a concert. The attack left 144 people dead, according to the latest data from the Russian Emergencies Ministry.

The four main suspects in the case — all of them citizens of Tajikistan — tried to flee the scene in a car but were detained and charged with terrorism. Russian authorities believe their plan was to flee to Ukraine, where the masterminds of the attack had arranged a safe haven for them. An investigation is underway.