Russian officials have announced the arrest of 11 individuals linked to a devastating terrorist assault on a concert venue in a suburb of Moscow, which now sees a death toll of 133.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the deadly incident, which occurred on Friday night, has since been claimed by the Islamic State.

According to the report, four individuals suspected to be the primary perpetrators were apprehended for their alleged direct involvement in the attack. Authorities believe they assaulted by opening fire on attendees at close range and using smoke bombs to create chaos.

This group was reportedly comprised of individuals from Central Asian nations formerly part of the Soviet Union, WSJ reported.

Addressing the nation on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, "I express my deep, sincere condolences to all those who lost their loved ones. The whole country and our entire people are grieving with you. I declare March 24 a day of national mourning."

"All four direct perpetrators of the terrorist attack, all those who shot and killed people, were found and detained. They tried to hide and moved towards Ukraine, where, according to preliminary data, a window was prepared for them from the Ukrainian side to cross the state border. A total of 11 people were detained," Putin added, according to Reuters.

According to the WSJ, Andrey Kartapolov, head of Russia’s defense parliamentary committee, suggested that a military response might be warranted if Ukrainian involvement is confirmed. However, Kyiv has staunchly refuted any such allegations.

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The U.S. had previously alerted Russia to potential terrorist threats, identifying ISIS-K, a faction of the Islamic State based in Afghanistan, as being a possible threat.

Earlier in March, the U.S. embassy in Russia had issued an alert advising against attending large gatherings due to the threat of a terror attack.

However, despite the U.S. warnings, Putin dismissed them as "provocative," criticizing the intentions behind them, the Insider reports.  

As the Moscow region sees heightened security measures, the community comes together in mourning, with many laying flowers and volunteering for blood donations.

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This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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