The Investigative Committee of Russia, responsible for the main criminal investigations in the country, stated this Thursday, 28, that another suspect was detained as an accomplice of the bombing at a concert hall near Moscow, which left 143 people dead. The agency did not provide further details about the suspect’s identity or his alleged actions.
A Russia again stated that the authors had “links with Ukrainian nationalists”, despite the Islamic state already claimed the attack. The Russian government said it had “proof” of the links, but did not present it. Ukraine rejects any connection with the tragedy, and U.S described the accusations as “absurd propaganda”.
“The work carried out with the detained terrorists, the expertise in the technical devices they carried and the analysis of financial transactions made it possible to obtain evidence of their links with Ukrainian nationalists”, declared the committee, on Telegram.
According to the agency, the four attackers received “important sums of money and cryptocurrencies from Ukraine, which they used to prepare the crime.” The committee, however, did not publish any documents or elements to corroborate its allegations.
The attack on March 22 at Crocus City Hall was claimed by the jihadist organization Islamic Statebut Russian authorities have been insisting for several days on Ukraine’s alleged involvement. Kiev and its allies, on the other hand, reject any connection with the killing and say that the Kremlin, in the middle of an armed conflict with Ukraine, seeks to blame its neighbor for political reasons.
A White House accused Russia of wanting to spread “absurd propaganda” about the attack, for which the Islamic State is “solely responsible”. “My uncle used to say (…) that the best manure sellers often carry their samples in their mouths. Russian officials appear to be quite good dung salesmen,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
In total, 12 people have been arrested for the attack, including the four alleged shooters. Eight of them were indicted and placed in preventive detention. The attack left at least 143 dead and 360 injured, including children, the deadliest in the last 20 years in Russia./AFP and Associated Press.
Tags: Russia arrests attack suspect mentions Ukraine presenting evidence
