Another Moscow terror attack suspect arrested
An eighth suspect has been placed under arrest in relation to last week’s Crocus City Hall terrorist attack, Moscow’s Basmanny Court announced in a statement on Tuesday. He will remain in custody until May 22.
Previously, the same court had approved the arrest of four men believed to have carried out the attack as well as three others who are accused of being involved in organizing it. That’s as investigators have said that a total of 11 people have been detained in relation to the shooting spree and arson that left over 130 people dead.
The Moscow court has alleged the eighth suspect’s involvement in the case without providing any details, only identifying him as Alisher Kasimov, born in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Kasimov is a 32-year-old Russian citizen and a professional chef, according to local media reports, which add that he has three children, owns a cafe in the city of Krasnogorsk and is currently involved in food deliveries to construction sites across Moscow.
Investigators believe Kasimov had rented out an apartment to Shamsidin Fariduni - one of the suspects accused of carrying out the attack on the music hall, who had allegedly turned the residence into a base of operations.
Kasimov has reportedly insisted that he was not aware of Fariduni's terrorist intentions and had simply rented him the apartment after putting up an offer online.
On the evening of March 22, a group of gunmen armed with assault rifles attacked the Crocus City music hall in the Moscow suburb of Krasnogorsk, just before a concert by the rock band Picnic was due to start. The venue, with an estimated capacity of 7,500, was almost full at the time of the attack. The terrorists killed the guards, shot concert-goers on sight, then started a fire that quickly spread throughout the building.
At least 139 people, including three children, were killed in the attack, the chair of the Russian Investigative Committee, Aleksandr Bastrykin, reported on Monday, while health officials have said that over 150 were injured.
He also noted that investigators have determined that the attack lasted a total of 13 minutes between when the terrorists exited their vehicle and when they left the building.
After fleeing the scene, the attackers were eventually apprehended by Russian law enforcement near the country’s southern border in Bryansk Region. According to preliminary findings, the terrorists were allegedly seeking to cross into Ukraine.
