French President Emmanuel Macron said that, according to intelligence available to France and other countries, the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall was inspired by the Islamic State affiliate IS-Khorasan.
“The information we have... as well as our main partners indicates that (the organization that) instigated this attack was indeed an affiliate of the Islamic State,” Macron told reporters.
“This group also tried to carry out several actions on the territory of our country,” the French president said during a visit to French Guiana. France raised its terror alert level to its highest level on Sunday following the Moscow shooting.
Macron stressed that it would be “cynical and counterproductive” to try to blame Ukraine for the terrorist attack.
“I think it would be cynical and counterproductive for Russia itself and the security of its citizens to use this context to try to turn it against Ukraine,” he said.
The US said earlier that, according to intelligence data, IS was responsible for the attack on a concert hall near Moscow, which killed 137 people. Meanwhile, Moscow continues to claim that Ukraine is to blame for what happened. Vladimir Putin did not publicly mention the militant Islamist group in connection with the attack.
In the deadliest terrorist attack to hit Russia in two decades, four men burst into Crocus City Hall on Friday evening during a concert by Soviet rock band Picnic and opened fire. According to official data available today, 137 people have died. 182 people were injured.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, and the United States publicly confirmed the information. The terrorist group released what it said was video footage of the attack. US officials said they alerted Russia to intelligence about the impending attack earlier this month.
The four men were taken into custody on terrorism charges and appeared before the Basmanny District Court in Moscow. According to Russian judicial authorities, these are Dalerjon Mirzoev, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, Shamsidin Fariduni and Muhammadsobir Fayzov. Russian state media reported that all of them were citizens of Tajikistan. Two of them admitted their guilt, the court was told.
Putin claimed that some people on the “Ukrainian side” were ready to smuggle militants across the border. Ukraine completely denies claims of involvement in the attack. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky accused Putin of trying to blame Kyiv for what happened.
Macron said that the IS group that claimed responsibility for the attack in Moscow also tried to carry out terrorist attacks in France.