Putin denies involvement of Islamic fundamentalists in Moscow concert hall attack

Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected the idea that the Moscow concert hall terror attack was carried out by Islamic fundamentalists.

Putin commented on the motivations behind the terror attack during a trade union federation congress on Thursday, saying that Russia could “hardly be an object of attack by Islamic fundamentalists”, as it demonstrated “a unique example of interfaith and interethnic unity”.

Putin went on to say that the sole goal of the attack was to “undermine the unity of Russian society”.

Islamic State had previously claimed responsibility for the attack in Crocus City Hall, a concert venue near Moscow, that killed at least 144 people and injured hundreds more.

The Russian authorities had not previously denied the involvement of Islamist movements in the attack, with Putin himself admitting last week that “radical Islamists” were involved in the Crocus City Hall shooting, but indicating that Kyiv and Washington played a part in organising it. Both Ukraine and the US reject these claims as false.