Two weeks prior to the major concert hall attack on the outskirts of Moscow last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed US warnings against a potential threat as “blackmail”.
The US Embassy issued a precautionary warning on March 7, stating: “The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and US citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours.”
Just three days before the attack, Putin replied to the alert by saying: “All this resembles outright blackmail and the intention to intimidate and destabilize our society,” calling the warnings “provocative”, according to Russian news agency TASS.
Despite the warning, an attack happened on Friday 22 March, and the Islamic State group (ISIS) claimed responsibility, a fact confirmed by the US, despite Russian officials attempting to shift blame to Ukraine.
The State Department confirmed that US intelligence had information about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow, prompting the agency to issue a public advisory to US citizens in Russia.
READ MORE: Russian spies furious with Putin over Moscow attack – ‘Didn’t keep us safe’
The information was also shared with Russian authorities as per the longstanding “duty to warn” policy, according to which foreign intelligence agencies warn their counterparts if talks of potential attacks is picked up.
On Saturday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the attack, expressing solidarity with Russia and offering condolences to the families of the victims.
Putin also addressed the nation, denouncing the massacre as “a bloody, barbaric terrorist act” and declaring a national day of mourning.
The attack, perpetrated by gunmen who stormed Crocus City Hall during a concert, resulted in chaos and destruction, claiming over 130 lives.
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The assailants fired indiscriminately, detonated explosives, and set the building ablaze, trapping some attendees inside.
In the aftermath, Putin vowed to identify and apprehend all individuals involved in facilitating the attack, suggesting a possible link to Ukraine, a claim denied by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The intelligence community suspects ISIS-K, the Afghanistan-based affiliate of ISIS, to be behind the assault, similar to their attack at Abbey Gate during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
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