Moscow terror attack: Suspects detained as death toll hits 115

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) reported the arrests to Russian President Vladimir Putin, “including four terrorists directly involved in the terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall,” Russian news agency Tass reported.

A branch of the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the shooting, one of the most serious attacks Moscow has experienced in recent years, the Associated Press reported.

After the attack, “the criminals tried to escape by driving towards the Russian-Ukrainian border” and they “had relevant contacts on the Ukrainian side,” the FSB said in a statement, according to state-owned news agency Ria Novosti. “They are currently being transferred to Moscow,” the FSB said.

On March 7, the U.S. Embassy in the Russian capital issued a warning to U.S. citizens saying it was monitoring “reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts.”

The U.S. intelligence services had collected information that a branch of the Islamic State known as ISIS-K and based in Afghanistan was planning an attack on Moscow, the New York Times reported. U.S. officials are said to have shared intelligence on an impending attack with Russian authorities, the newspaper said.