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Copyright © 2024 CGTN. 京ICP备20000184号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
A view shows the Crocus City Hall concert venue following a shooting incident and massive fire, outside Moscow, Russia, March 25, 2024. /CFP
The Russian Investigative Committee, the country's apex federal investigative authority, said on Friday that evidence shows a potential link between the deadly terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall near Moscow and the ongoing special military operation in Ukraine.
In a statement issued on its Telegram channel, the committee noted that from the attackers' mobile phones, which the terrorists attempted to destroy, data was retrieved related to the preparation of the attack.
"The data may indicate a connection between the terrorist act committed and the special military operation," the statement said.
Investigators revealed that Crocus City Hall was targeted upon instructions from a coordinator. "On the morning of February 24, 2024, the anniversary of the special military operation's commencement, one of the accomplices sent screenshots of Crocus City Hall's entrances and access routes to their coordinator," the committee said.
"In addition, photographs of people in camouflage uniforms with a Ukrainian flag against the backdrop of destroyed buildings and a Ukrainian postage stamp with an obscene gesture were found on the terrorist's phone," added the statement.
A shooting at Moscow's Crocus City Hall concert venue on March 22, followed by a massive fire, resulted in at least 144 deaths and 551 injuries, according to official statistics.
Russia previously suggested that the terrorist attack was linked to Ukraine, a claim that Ukraine has repeatedly denied.
(With input from Xinhua)