Dozens Killed as Gunmen Storm Moscow Concert Hall

Gunmen burst into a large concert hall on the edge of Moscow on Friday and sprayed visitors with automatic gunfire, killing dozens and starting a massive blaze in Russia's worst terror attack in two decades, per the AP.

• Casualties: Russia's state news agencies reported that 40 people were killed and more than 100 wounded, reports the New York Times. Russia's state RIA Novosti news agency reported that multiple assailants in combat fatigues fired weapons.
• Huge fire: Russian news reports also said the assailants threw explosives, triggering a huge fire at the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow. The venue, one of the biggest and most popular concert halls in the city, can accommodate more than 6,000 people.
• Concert: The attack took place as crowds gathered for a concert of Picnic, a famed Russian rock band. Rescuers were trying to save people from the roof of the building, but a local report said its roof was collapsing in the blaze. Stars including Eric Clapton and Dua Lipa have performed there, and Donald Trump held the Miss Universe pageant in the concert hall in 2013.

• Responsibility: There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack, which came days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide, and as the Ukraine war dragged into its third year. But hours later, ISIS said it carried out the attack, in a message through an affiliate on Telegram, per CNN. No evidence was provided, and no governments immediately commented on the claim.
• Ukraine: US officials are concerned that Putin will blame Ukraine. "Ukraine definitely has nothing to do with these events," said an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
• White House: National Security Adviser John Kirby said that he couldn't yet speak about all the details but that "the images are just horrible. And just hard to watch."
• Warning: The US Embassy in Moscow had issued a security alert on March 7, saying there were reports that "extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts," per the Times.
• Shutdowns: All mass gatherings in Moscow were canceled for the weekend, and theaters and museums were closed, per the AP. Moscow officials said security was increased at airports, railway stations, and across the subway system.
• Survivors: RIA Novosti reported that "people in the hall lay down on the floor to escape the shooting," per the Washington Post. After 15 or 20 minutes, a correspondent said, they began to crawl out of the building.
• Witnesses: One person said the attackers acted like trained fighters, telling Mash, a Russian Telegram channel: "At the moment of entering the building, the guards and people standing at the door were killed. Then they blocked the main entrance." A girl who was about to enter the hall with her parents told a Russian channel, "We were literally three steps away from the entrance when the shooting started … and a man fell down dead in front of me."

This story has been updated with new details throughout. (More Russia stories.)