Moscow [Russia], August 5: A Russian military court has opened a high-profile trial of 19 defendants accused of carrying out or aiding an Islamist terrorist attack on a Moscow concert venue that killed more than 140 people.
The proceedings began on Monday at the Moscow City Court complex with a brief public session. The four alleged attackers and 15 alleged accomplices were present, seated behind glass enclosures. The trial was then closed to the public.
According to Lyudmila Ayvar, a lawyer representing the joint plaintiffs who was present in court, the four main defendants pleaded guilty and expressed remorse for their actions. Some of the co-defendants admitted partial guilt, while others pleaded not guilty.
The attack took place on March 22, 2024, when investigators say four armed men stormed the venue, called Crocus City Hall, in Krasnogorsk, a suburb of Moscow.
They opened fire on concertgoers attending a show by the Russian rock band Picnic and set the venue on fire. Parts of the building later collapsed.
The TASS news agency cited the Prosecutor General's Office as reporting 149 dead and one missing person, while Interfax reported 147 dead and three missing.
The four attackers, said to be from Tajikistan, fled the scene by car and were captured in Russia's Bryansk region near the borders with Ukraine and Belarus. Shortly after their arrest, Russian authorities paraded the suspects in public, with at least one showing signs of torture. The alleged accomplices, also from former Soviet Central Asian states, are accused of providing money, vehicles, weapons or shelter. Authorities are still searching for six additional suspects believed to be involved.
Source: Qatar Tribune
