Another suspect arrested in Moscow concert hall attack, had financed the massacre

Russia’s top investigative body said Thursday it has detained a second suspect as an accomplice to an attack by gunmen on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed 143 people.

A statement from the Investigative Committee said the latest person detained was involved in financing Friday’s attack on the Crocus City concert hall, in which gunmen shot people waiting for a show by a popular rock band. and then set the building on fire. It did not provide further details about the suspect’s identity or alleged actions.

Authorities had earlier said 11 suspects had been arrested, including four who allegedly carried out the attack. The four, identified as Tajik citizens, appeared in a Moscow court on terrorism charges on Sunday and showed signs of severe beatings. One person appeared barely conscious during the hearing.

A faction of the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the massacre. But Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have consistently claimed without presenting evidence that Ukraine and the West had a role in the attack.

The Investigative Committee’s statement said it had “confirmed data that the perpetrators of the terrorist attack received significant amounts of money and cryptocurrencies from Ukraine, which were used in preparation for the crime.”

Ukraine has denied involvement and its officials claim Moscow is pushing the allegation as a pretext to intensify its war in Ukraine.

Health officials said Thursday that about 70 people injured in the attack were hospitalized, many of them in critical condition.

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