Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed American warnings about a potential terrorist incident in Moscow just days before gunmen attacked a concert hall in the vicinity of the Russian capital today, reports Business Insider.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for today's attack on a concert hall near Moscow, the group's Telegram channel announced, Reuters reports.
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At least 40 people were killed and more than 100 injured when five gunmen dressed in camouflage suits opened fire with automatic weapons on people at a concert at the Crocus City Hall concert hall near Moscow, in one of the worst attacks on Russia in recent years, reports is Reuters.
And the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that in this evening's armed attack in Moscow, at least 40 people were killed and more than 100 were injured.
Russian officials characterized the attack as a "terrorist act".
Earlier this month, the US Embassy in Russia issued a security alert about a potential terrorist attack in Moscow and urged people to avoid crowds, monitor local media and be aware.
"The embassy is following reports that extremists are planning to target large gatherings in Moscow soon, including concerts, and citizens of the United States of America (US) should be advised to avoid large gatherings for the next 48 hours," the March 7 security alert said.
Putin criticized the warning as "provocative".
As reported by the TAS agency, the Russian president said on March 19 that the goal of "recent provocative statements by a number of official Western structures about the possibility of terrorist attacks in Russia" is to harm Russian society.
"All this looks like direct blackmail and an intention to intimidate and destabilize our society," Putin said, state media reported, according to Business Insider.
Although the concerts have been mentioned as a potential target in the US security alert, it is not yet clear whether Friday's attack is connected to the threats that official Washington has been monitoring.
The US embassy issued another warning on Friday saying it was "aware" of the attack and urged Americans to avoid the area, according to Business Insider.
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