Death toll from attack on Moscow concert hall reaches 133

MOSCOW — The death toll in the Moscow concert hall attack has risen to 133, Russia’s top state investigative agency said on Saturday.

The update from the Investigative Committee comes as authorities are combing the charrred wreckage of the Crocus City Hall on Moscow’s western edge for more victims. Officials previously put the death toll from Friday’s raid at 115.

The attack also left many wounded.

The Islamic State group’s Afghanistan branch claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on affiliated channels on social media. A US intelligence official told The Associated Press that US agencies had confirmed that the group was responsible for the attack.

In an address to the nation on Saturday, Russian President said authorities had detained 11 people, including four who took part in the attack. He also suggested they had been trying to cross the border into Ukraine which, he said, tried to create a “window” to help them escape.

Ukraine has strongly denied any involvement and accused Moscow of using the attack to try to stoke fervour in its war effort.

Putin said authorities have detained 11 people in the attack.

In an address to the nation, Putin called it “a bloody, barbaric terrorist act” and said all four people who were directly involved had been taken into custody. He suggested they had been trying to cross the border into Ukraine which, he said, tried to create a “window” to help them escape.

The Islamic State group’s Afghanistan branch claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack in a statement posted on affiliated channels on social media. A US intelligence official told The Associated Press that US agencies had confirmed that the group was responsible for the attack.

The attack, which was the deadliest in Russia in years, came just days after Putin cemented his grip on power in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide and as the country’s war in Ukraine dragged into a third year