WASHINGTON: Ukraine had “no involvement whatsoever” in the massacre in a Moscow concert hall that killed more than 130 people, the White House said Sunday, after Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested a Kyiv connection.
“ISIS bears sole responsibility for this attack. There was no Ukrainian involvement whatsoever,” said White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson, using an acronym for the Islamic State group, which has claimed the attack.
There was “no” evidence that Ukraine was involved, agreed Vice President Kamala Harris in an interview with ABC News’ “This Week” that was aired Sunday. “ISIS-K is actually, by all accounts, responsible for what happened,” she said. The “K” refers to Khorasan, with the attack being claimed by IS’s branch in Afghanistan and Pakistan. At least 137 people were killed when camouflaged gunmen stormed the Crocus City Hall, in Moscow’s northern suburb of Krasnogorsk, and then set fire to the building on Friday evening.
The Islamic State group on Saturday wrote on Telegram that the attack was “carried out by four IS fighters armed with machine guns, a pistol, knives and firebombs,” as part of “the raging war” with “countries fighting Islam.”
A video lasting about a minute and half apparently shot by the gunmen has been posted on social media accounts typically used by IS, according to the SITE intelligence group.
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