A Russian military court has opened a high-profile trial of 19 defendants accused of carrying out or assisting in terrorist attack on a Moscow concert venue.
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The attack killed more than 140 people.
The proceedings, held in the large complex of the Moscow City Court, started on Monday with a public hearing before moving behind closed doors, according to Russian state news agency — TASS.
The attack took place on March 22, 2024, when investigators said four armed men stormed the venue, called Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, a suburb of Moscow.
They opened fire on concertgoers attending a show by the Russian rock band Picnic and set the venue on fire.
Parts of the building later collapsed.
Death toll figures vary across Russian media: TASS cited the Prosecutor General’s Office as reporting 149 dead and one missing person, while Interfax reported 147 dead and three missing.
Over 330 people were injured in the attack.
The four attackers, said to be from Tajikistan, fled the scene by car and were captured in Russia’s Bryansk region near the borders with Ukraine and Belarus.
Shortly after their arrest, Russian authorities paraded the suspects in public, with at least one showing signs of torture.
The alleged accomplices, also from former Soviet Central Asian states, are accused of providing money, vehicles, weapons or shelter.
Authorities are still searching for six additional suspects believed to be involved.
(NAN)
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