MOSCOW: The Islamic State (IS) jihadist group Saturday claimed that four of its fighters carried out the attack on the concert hall in a Moscow suburb on Friday that Russian authorities said killed at least 133 people.
“The attack was carried out by four Islamic State fighters armed with machine guns, a pistol, knives and firebombs,” the jihadist group said on one of its Telegram channels.
It said the fighters killed “dozens of Christians” as part of its “raging war” with nations they said were fighting Islam.
A day earlier, the jihadists said they carried out the attack, claiming their fighters had “returned to base safely”.
Russia has not reacted to the jihadist group’s claim. It, however, said 11 people had been arrested “including four terrorists” involved in the crime.
Russia has suggested the attackers had links to Ukraine, but Kyiv termed the claim as “absurd”.
Russia is fighting the jihadist group in Syria and the fighters has also had a presence in the Muslim-majority Russian republics of Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan.
