Moscow, Mar 23: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday declared March 24 a day of nationwide mourning for the victims of the terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow.

“I declare March 24th a day of national mourning,” Putin said in his address to Russians after the attack.

A shooting occurred on Friday evening in the Crocus City Hall concert venue in the city of Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, followed by a massive fire. A Sputnik correspondent who witnessed the attack reported that at least three men in camouflage had broken into the music hall, shooting people point-blank and throwing incendiary bombs. According to the latest data from the Russian Investigative Committee, at least 115 people died in the terrorist attack, many others were injured, and the number of those killed is expected to increase. Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of RT and the Rossiya Segodnya media group, said that the death toll had already increased to 143.

Eleven people were detained in connection with the attack, including four who were directly responsible, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said. All four were detained in the Russian region of Bryansk, which borders Ukraine, a few hours apart, the FSB added.

UNI