Death toll soars in Moscow terrorist attack, 11 detained as Islamic State claims responsibility

The death toll from a terrorist attack at a Moscow concert hall soared past 100 on Saturday as Russian authorities arrested 11 people in a deadly plot that ISIS claimed responsibility for.

Fires still burned at the Crocus City Hall and the complex’s roof partially collapsed hours after gunman opened fire and unleashed explosives inside the crowded venue. 

U.S. intelligence reportedly warned Moscow of an impending threat, and Russian authorities confirmed the attack had been carefully planned.

Officials said the death toll stood at 115, and more than 150 people were wounded.

"Intelligence agencies have detained 11 people, including four terrorists, who were directly involved in an attack on the Crocus City Hall,” Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement.

"It has already been established that the terrorist attack was carefully planned. The weapons that the terrorists used had been placed in a cache in advance," the FSB added.

In a Telegram post to its channel, the terrorist organization ISIS claimed its personnel had "attacked a large gathering... on the outskirts of the Russian capital Moscow," according to the Moscow Times.

The Islamic State initially rose to prominence in Iraq and Syria, though it has long since branched out beyond those nations and at least one branch is known to operate in Afghanistan. The motivation behind the Islamic State attack remains unclear and there is no evident connection to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine as of press time.

Russia previously struggled with Islamic secessionists in the northern Caucuses throughout the 1990s and terrorist activity persisted into the 2000s after the Russians reoccupied Chechnya. Current Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, however, is a staunch supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Video footage from Russian media outlet TASS showed the concert hall in flames.

Crocus City Hall in Moscow right now pic.twitter.com/yfydB70Sw5

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Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.