New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday held radical Islamists responsible for deadly terrorist attack in the Crocus City Hall in Moscow’s outskirts, leaving several unresolved issues. “We know that the crime was committed by the hands of radical Islamists, whose ideology the Islamic world itself has been fighting for centuries,” Putin said during a Monday briefing on the post-attack measures.
Putin said it is already known who carried out the terrorist attack, but now “we are interested in who ordered the crime”, as reported by Xinhua news agency. Putin criticized the US for its attempts to persuade the global community of the absence of any connection to Kiev in the tragic event.
Putin pointed out that there are still unanswered questions. He emphasized the need to determine whether radical Islamic groups, including those with terrorist links, have a vested interest in targeting Russia, a nation advocating for equitable resolutions to the intensifying Middle East crisis.
He also highlighted the necessity to understand the rationale behind the terrorists’ attempt to flee to Ukraine post-attack in Crocus, and who might have been expecting them there. Putin described the incident as a scare tactic and posed the question of who stands to gain from such acts.
Putin insisted that the probe into the attack must be conducted with utmost professionalism, impartiality, and devoid of political slant, despite the widespread clamor for retribution against the culprits.
In a sharp retort, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy mocked Putin’s assertions in his evening address, labeling the Russian president as the sole non-terrorist in his view, despite Putin’s long history of fostering terror over the past two decades.
Zelenskiy’s remarks alluded to claims that Putin has orchestrated numerous violent incidents within Russia since his rise to power in 2000.
Zelenskiy predicted that the end of Putin’s reign would also mark the cessation of the need for terror and violence. Ukraine has refuted any involvement in the recent shooting, with Zelenskiy accusing Putin of deflecting culpability.
The US has expressed its belief in the Islamic State’s involvement. American authorities have disclosed that they had forewarned Russia of potential imminent threats earlier this month, with intelligence suggesting that the Afghan-based Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) was the likely perpetrator.