Gunmen opened fire at a concert hall in Moscow, killing at least 60 people, wounding more than 100 and sparking a fire, authorities said, and the Islamic State group claimed responsibility.
The attackers, dressed in camouflage uniforms, entered the building, opened fire and threw a grenade or firebomb, according to a RIA Novosti journalist at the scene.
The fire quickly spread to the Crocus City concert hall in the northern Moscow suburb of Krasnogorsk, with smoke filling the building and screaming visitors rushing to the emergency exits.
Russia's FSB security service said at least 60 people died and more than 100 were injured, according to Russian media reports.
Russia's Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said 115 people were hospitalized, including five children, one of whom was in serious condition. Of the 110 adult patients, 60 are in serious condition.
Authorities said a "terrorist" investigation had been launched and President Vladimir Putin was receiving "constant" information, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies.
Russia's National Guard said it was at the scene and searching for the perpetrators. An AFP reporter saw police with sniffer dogs checking cars parked outside the building.
The Islamic State group said its fighters had attacked a "large gathering" on the outskirts of Moscow and "retreated safely to their bases".
News channels "Base" and "Mash", which are close to the security forces, showed video footage of flames and black smoke coming from the hall.
Other footage showed concertgoers hiding behind seats or trying to escape.
Security services quoted by Interfax said between two and five people "dressed in tactical uniforms and carrying automatic weapons" opened fire on security guards at the entrance and then began shooting at the audience.
About 100 people fled through the theatre's basement, while others took cover on the roof, the emergencies ministry said on its Telegram channel.
Three helicopters were involved in efforts to extinguish the fire, dumping water on the huge concert hall, which can hold several thousand people and has hosted leading international artists.
Shortly after midnight, the emergencies ministry said the fire had been brought under control.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said it was a "bloody terrorist attack".
"The entire international community must condemn this heinous crime," she said in a Telegram message.
The US presidency called the attack "horrific" and said there was no immediate indication of any link to the conflict in Ukraine.
A U.S. official told CBS News that the U.S. has intelligence that confirms ISIS claims of responsibility and that it has no reason to doubt those claims.
The U.S. official also confirmed that the U.S. had provided Russia with intelligence about a potential attack as required by the intelligence community's "duty to warn."
Ukraine's presidency said Kiev had "nothing to do" with the attack, while its military intelligence called the incident a Russian "provocation" and accused Moscow's special services of being behind it.
The Freedom of Russia Legion, a pro-Ukrainian militia responsible for attacks in Russia's border regions, also denied having any role.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev vowed that senior Ukrainian officials "must be found and ruthlessly destroyed as terrorists" if they were linked to the attack.
The European Union, France, Spain and Italy joined several countries in condemning the attack, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemning the "heinous act of terrorism".
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed "solidarity with the victims, their relatives and the entire Russian people".
The head of the Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, "prays for peace for the souls of the victims", his spokesman Vladimir Legoyda said.
Moscow and other Russian cities have been targeted by Islamist groups in the past, but there have also been incidents with no clear political motive.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Embassy in Russia said it was monitoring reports that "extremists" were planning "to attack large gatherings in Moscow," including concerts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the West's statements about the possibility of terrorist attacks in Russia outright blackmail, TASS reported on 19 March.
At the meeting of the FSB's board of governors, the head of state recalled "recent provocative statements by a number of official Western structures about the possibility of terrorist attacks in Russia."
"All this looks like outright blackmail and an intention to intimidate and destabilise our society," Putin said. / BGNES
