Russia calls Moscow concert hall shooting 'terrorist attack'

The shooting at a concert hall in the Russian capital Moscow is a "terrorist attack", the Russian Foreign ministry said on Friday night. 

The attack took place at Crocus City Hall on the outskirts of Moscow and killed at least 40 people, according to Russian media. It was reportedly followed by a fire at the venue.

Many details about the victims remain unclear, in part because people are still inside the venue. There were reportedly between two and five assailants, shooting with automatic weapons.

The mayor of Moscow has cancelled all events in the capital for the coming weekend, including all sporting, cultural and other events.

The White House said the images of shooting in the Russian capital were "horrible and just hard to watch". Washington said it had no evidence that Ukraine, with which Russia is at war, was involved in the attack. 

^{A burning Crocus City Hall concert hall after the shooting in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, on 22 March 2024 © PHOTO SERGEI VEDYASHKIN / MOSKVA NEWS AGENCY / AFP}