2024-03-24 16:58:00
The chairwoman of the defense committee in the German parliament, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, said that the terrorist attack in a concert hall in Moscow, in which more than 130 people were killed, was a “serious blow” to the Russian security authorities, reports BTA, citing of DPA.
In an interview with today’s edition of Bild, Strack-Zimmerman, who is a defense expert from the smallest party in Germany’s governing coalition, the Free Democrats, said that there were warnings before the attacks.
Western and US intelligence agencies earlier this month warned that an attack was possible and the US embassy in Moscow urged its citizens to avoid large gatherings of people as there were reports that extremists were planning to attack large gatherings in the Russian capital, including concerts, says DPA.
She expressed bewilderment at the lack of additional security measures given this information, “even specifically regarding concerts.”
“It’s clear that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin completely misjudged these warnings and didn’t take them seriously enough, and now he’s trying to deflect attention from them,” Shtrack-Zimmerman said.
In a speech earlier this week, Putin dismissed the warnings as Western provocations aimed at destabilizing Russia.
On Friday, assailants opened fire indiscriminately on patrons at the Crocus City Hall concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow, killing 133 people and injuring more than 100, according to authorities.
The Islamic State terror group yesterday released pictures of the alleged attackers after claiming responsibility for the attack.