Russia on Sunday observed a national day of mourning in the aftermath of an attack at a suburban Moscow concert hall left more than 130 people dead.
Family and friends of those missing were still waiting for news of their loved ones two days after the massacre, which also left some 150 people injured. The death toll, initially placed at around 40, had risen to 137 as of Sunday, intelligence officials said.
To mark the day of mourning, events at cultural institutions were canceled, flags were lowered to half-staff and television entertainment and advertising were suspended, according to state news agency RIA Novosti. A steady stream of people added to a makeshift memorial near the burnt-out concert hall, creating a huge mound of flowers.
"People came to a concert, some people came to relax with their families, and any one of us could have been in that situation. And I want to express my condolences to all the families that were affected here and I want to pay tribute to these people," Andrey Kondakov, one of the mourners who came to lay flowers at the memorial, told The Associated Press.
"The impact of this event has reverberated throughout our entire nation," expressed Marina Korshunova, a staff member at the kindergarten. "It is unfathomable that innocent young children were caught in the midst of such a tragedy." Among the casualties were three children.
The recent attack, which has been attributed to an offshoot of the Islamic State organization, marks the deadliest assault on Russian soil in recent memory.
"The sound of gunfire seemed endless," recounted eyewitness Dave Primov to CBS News. "Panic ensued, leading to a stampede where some individuals were trampled."
As rescue teams meticulously comb through the wreckage of the venue and the casualty count continues to climb with the discovery of more victims, several families are left in limbo, uncertain about the fate of their loved ones who attended the targeted event on Friday. The Moscow Department of Health announced on Sunday that they have initiated the process of identifying the deceased through DNA testing, a procedure that is anticipated to take at least a fortnight.
Igor Pogadaev is anxiously searching for any information regarding his wife's whereabouts after she attended the concert and ceased communication with him.
Since receiving two photos from the Crocus City Hall music venue, Yana Pogadaeva has not been in contact with her husband.
"I went around, searched, I asked everyone, I showed photographs. No one saw anything, no one could say anything," Pogadaev expressed in a video message.
Witnessing flames bursting out of the building, he frantically called a hotline for relatives of the victims, but to no avail.
With the death toll rising, Pogodaev visited hospitals in Moscow and the Moscow region, hoping to find any information on newly admitted patients.
Despite the growing number of casualties, Pogadaev refuses to accept that his wife might be among the 137 people who lost their lives in the attack, and he still hasn't returned home.
"I couldn't bear to be alone anymore, it's incredibly hard, so I decided to drive to my friend's place," he shared. "At least now I won't be by myself."
A video released by the Moscow Region's Emergency Situations Ministry on Sunday displayed equipment being used to dismantle the damaged music venue, allowing rescuers to access the site.
Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin is seemingly attempting to link Ukraine to the attack, a claim strongly refuted by the Ukrainian government.
A United States intelligence official told CBS News that the U.S. has intelligence confirming that the Islamic State was responsible, and they do not have reason to doubt those claims. The U.S. Embassy in Russia had also previously advised Americans to stay away from concert venues because of the potential threat of a terrorist attack. The U.S. intelligence official confirmed to CBS News that the U.S. provided intelligence to Russia regarding the potential for an attack, under the intelligence community's Duty to Warn requirement.
"ISIS bears sole responsibility for this attack. There was no Ukrainian involvement whatsoever," National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
Russian authorities arrested four suspected attackers on Saturday, Putin said in a nighttime address to the nation, among 11 people detained on suspicion of involvement in the attack. He said that they were captured while fleeing to Ukraine.
Though no court hearing has been officially announced, there was a heavy police presence around Moscow's Basmanny District Court on Sunday. Police tried to drive journalists away from the court.
Putin called the attack "a bloody, barbaric terrorist act" and said Russian authorities captured the four suspects as they were trying to escape to Ukraine through a "window" prepared for them on the Ukrainian side of the border.
Russian media broadcast videos that apparently showed the detention and interrogation of the suspects, including one who told the cameras he was approached by an unidentified assistant to an Islamic preacher via a messaging app and paid to take part in the raid.
Kyiv strongly denied any involvement, and the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate claimed responsibility.
In his address to the nation, Putin made no mention of ISIS. Kyiv accused him and other Russian politicians of falsely connecting Ukraine to the assault to drum up support for Russia's ongoing conflict in Ukraine, now in its third year.
The attack proved to be a significant embarrassment for the Russian leader, coming only days after he secured another six years in power through a controversial election following a severe crackdown on dissent reminiscent of the Soviet era.
Some observers on Russian social media questioned how the authorities, known for their suppression of opposition and control over the media, failed to prevent the assault despite warnings from the United States.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre issued a statement condemning the attack and emphasizing that ISIS is a "common terrorist enemy that must be defeated worldwide."
ISIS, which clashed with Russia during the Syrian civil war, has a history of targeting the country. In a message released by the ISIS Afghanistan branch through its Aamaq news agency, the group claimed responsibility for the attack on a gathering of "Christians" in Krasnogorsk.
ISIS Claims Responsibility for Concert Attack
A new statement was issued by the group on Aamaq, revealing that the attack at the concert was carried out by four individuals armed with automatic rifles, a pistol, knives, and firebombs. The assailants reportedly fired into the crowd and used knives to kill some of the concertgoers, framing the incident as part of ISIS's ongoing conflict with nations deemed to be anti-Islam.
This incident comes after a previous attack in October 2015, where ISIS planted a bomb that brought down a Russian passenger plane over Sinai, resulting in the tragic loss of all 224 individuals on board, many of whom were Russian vacationers returning from Egypt.
While ISIS primarily operates in Syria and Iraq, they have also carried out attacks in Afghanistan, Africa, and regions within Russia, including the Caucasus. The group has been known to recruit fighters from Russia and other areas of the former Soviet Union.
