DISINFO: Crocus hall terrorists confess to carrying out the attack with the help of Ukrainian special services
SUMMARY
The Federal Security Service published clips of the interrogation of those accused of carrying out the Crocus terrorist attack, and they admitted their intention to flee to the Ukrainian capital. They also revealed the financial reward they were promised. Investigations showed that the terrorist attack was carefully planned, weapons and means of terrorism were purchased, escape routes were determined for the terrorists in the Bryansk region, then the car was burned in the forest, and the coordinator was informed of this to ensure their passage to Ukrainian territory and their extradition to Kyiv, all with the help of special Ukrainian services. The terrorists were promised one million rubles (about 11 thousand US dollars) in exchange for carrying out the terrorist attack.
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative depicting Ukraine as a terrorist regime. The claim was made in connection with the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack in Moscow, trying to link Ukraine to the terrorist attacks in Russia without presenting any reliable evidence.
The suspects’ evidence about Ukraine's involvement in the Crocus Hall attack was extracted under duress and may therefore be unreliable. There are graphic photos and video recordings showing Russian security officials cutting off part of a detained suspect’s ear and torturing another one with electric current.
In a recent development, news have appeared that Iran had warned Moscow a few days before of an imminent attack by ISIS based on information obtained from arrested ISIS terrorists in Iran.
US intelligence agencies have also warned Russia about an impending terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall. US embassy issued an official statement on 7 March 2024: "The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours". The employees of Crocus said they received emergency situations instructions amid this warning.
The alert was dismissed as "provocative", "blackmail" and an "attempt to intimidate, destabilise our country" by Putin. He said: “I’ll remind you of recent, let’s say directly, provocative statements of certain official Western structures about potential terror attacks in Russia. All of this looks like obvious blackmail and an attempt to intimidate, destabilise our country”.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that Moscow has evidence of the connection between the Crocus City terrorists and Ukraine, that Kyiv is behind the attack at the Crocus in Moscow, and that Ukraine, not ISIS masterminded the Crocus attack.