Moscow attack: ‘Who benefits from this?’ Putin hints Ukraine's role, acknowledges Islamists carried out concert attack
France joined the US in saying intelligence indicated Islamic State was responsible. Alexander Bastrykin, head of Russia's Investigative Committee, told the Kremlin meeting that the death toll had risen to 139, with 182 people wounded. In this case, so far, four men of Tajik origin are remanded in custody on terrorism charges at Moscow's Basmanny district court on suspicion of carrying out the attack.
Three others, also of Tajik origin, were remanded in custody on suspicion of complicity. Islamic State has said it was responsible for the attack and has released what it says is footage from the massacre. "We know that the crime was carried out by the hand of radical Islamists with an ideology that the Muslim world has fought for centuries," Putin said in his remarks posted on the Telegram messaging app.
He stated there were "many questions" to be investigated and reiterated his earlier claim that the attackers had been attempting to escape to Ukraine without specifically mentioning the Islamic State. He added, "The question that arises is who benefits from this?" Further adding, he said, "This atrocity may be just a link in a whole series of attempts by those who have been at war with our country since 2014 by the hands of the neo-Nazi Kyiv regime." "We know by whose hand the crime against Russia and its people was committed. But what is of interest to us is who ordered it." Putin said the purpose of the attack was to "sow panic".
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