MOSCOW: Russian authorities arrested the four people suspected of taking part in the attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people and believe they were headed to Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin said Saturday during an address to the nation.
Kyiv, meanwhile, strongly denied any involvement in Friday’s attack on the Crocus City Hall music venue in Krasnogorsk, which the Daesh group’s affiliate in Afghanistan claimed responsibility for in a statement posted on social media channels linked to the group. Kyiv accused Putin and other Russian politicians of falsely linking Ukraine to the assault in order to stoke fervor in Russia’s war in Ukraine, which recently entered its third year.
A US intelligence official told The Associated Press that US agencies had confirmed that IS was responsible for the attack.
Putin said authorities have detained a total of 11 people in the attack, which also injured scores of concertgoers and left the venue a smoldering ruin. He called it “a bloody, barbaric terrorist act” and said Russian authorities captured the four suspected gunmen as they were trying to escape to Ukraine through a “window” prepared for them on the Ukrainian side of the border.
Putin also said that additional security measures have been imposed throughout Russia, and he declared Sunday to be a day of mourning.
Investigators on Saturday were combing through the charred wreckage of the hall for more victims, and the authorities said the death toll could still rise. Hundreds of people stood in line in Moscow early Saturday to donate blood and plasma, Russia’s health ministry said.
“We faced not just a thoroughly and cynically prepared terror attack, but a well-prepared and organized mass murder of peaceful innocent people,” Putin said.
The attack, which was the deadliest in Russia in years, came just days after Putin cemented his grip on power in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide and as the war in Ukraine drags on.
Some Russian lawmakers pointed the finger at Ukraine immediately after the attack. But Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, denied any involvement.
“Ukraine has never resorted to the use of terrorist methods,” he posted on X. “Everything in this war will be decided only on the battlefield.”
Ukraine’s foreign ministry accused Moscow of using the attack to try to stoke fervor for its war efforts.
“We consider such accusations to be a planned provocation by the Kremlin to further fuel anti-Ukrainian hysteria in Russian society, create conditions for increased mobilization of Russian citizens to participate in the criminal aggression against our country and discredit Ukraine in the eyes of the international community,” the ministry said in a statement.
Images shared by Russian state media Saturday showed a fleet of emergency vehicles still gathered outside the ruins of Crocus City Hall, which could hold more than 6,000 people and has hosted many big events, including the 2013 Miss Universe beauty pageant that featured Donald Trump and other VIPs.
Videos posted online showed gunmen in the venue shooting civilians at point-blank range. Russian news reports cited authorities and witnesses as saying the attackers threw explosive devices that started the fire. The roof of the theater, where crowds had gathered for a performance by the Russian rock band Picnic, collapsed early Saturday as firefighters spent hours fighting the blaze.
In a statement posted by its Aamaq news agency, the IS’s Afghanistan affiliate said it had attacked a large gathering of “Christians” in Krasnogorsk.
A US intelligence official told the AP that American intelligence agencies had gathered information in recent weeks that the IS branch was planning an attack in Moscow, and that US officials had privately shared the intelligence earlier this month with Russian officials.
The official was briefed on the matter but was not authorized to publicly discuss the intelligence information and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
Messages of outrage, shock and support for the victims and their families have streamed in from around the world.
On Friday, the UN Security Council condemned “the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack” and underlined the need for the perpetrators to be held accountable. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the terrorist attack “in the strongest possible terms,” his spokesman said.
Putin, who extended his grip on Russia for another six years in this week’s presidential vote after a sweeping crackdown on dissent, had publicly denounced the Western warnings of a potential terrorist attack as an attempt to intimidate Russians. “All that resembles open blackmail and an attempt to frighten and destabilize our society,” he said earlier this week.
In October 2015, a bomb planted by IS downed a Russian passenger plane over Sinai, killing all 224 people on board, most of them Russian vacation-goers returning from Egypt. The group, which operates mainly in Syria and Iraq but also in Afghanistan and Africa, also has claimed several attacks in Russia’s volatile Caucasus and other regions in the past years. It recruited fighters from Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union.
Putin says gunmen in Moscow attack tried to escape to Ukraine, Kyiv denies involvement
https://arab.news/gqzkk
Putin says gunmen in Moscow attack tried to escape to Ukraine, Kyiv denies involvement
- Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack, deadliest in Russia since Beslan school siege in 2004
- Authorities detain total of 11 people after the attack, which killed 133
Philippines’ Catholics welcome new pope with hope
- About 80 percent of Philippines’ 110 million population are Catholics
- Before his election, Pope Leo XIV had made several visits to the Philippines
MANILA: Filipinos joined Catholics around the world on Sunday to welcome the newly elected leader of their church, expressing hope and optimism for the papacy of Pope Leo XIV.
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost became the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday. The 69-year-old is the first North American pope and had spent more than two decades as a missionary in Peru.
Pope Leo follows in the footsteps of Pope Francis, who died on April 21 after a series of health issues. He was 88 years old.
In the Philippines, home to about 85 million Catholics, devotees who had closely followed the conclave to elect a new pope rejoiced at the outcome.
“He feels like the kind of leader the Catholic Church needs right now — someone who will continue the work Pope Francis started, especially in fighting for the rights of migrants and calling for peace by stopping the current wars,” Kris Crismundo, a church choir member from Bulacan province, told Arab News.
“It’s clear that he's someone with a heart for service, compassion, and unity, which are exactly the qualities the world needs more of today … I look forward to seeing where his leadership takes us.”
The Philippines is one of only two majority Christian countries in Asia, along with tiny East Timor.
With nearly 80 percent of the population belonging to the Catholic Church, many in the country have a special affection for their religious leader.
During a 2015 visit, Pope Francis drew a record crowd of more than six million people at a historic mass in Manila. When he died, masses were held throughout the archipelagic country in his honor.
“I have loved Pope Francis, but we have to accept God’s divine plan. A new pope is always a fresh start, and can give hope to all,” Manila-based journalist Karen Ow-Yong told Arab News.
She sees Pope Leo’s background in Peru as a “glimpse of what his papacy” will look like.
“We hope for a modern-day Pope who can relate and address modern-day challenges facing Catholics,” she said. “I wish for the new pope to be the light that shines on the darkest issues of humanity today, as well as to push for transparency and accountability, especially in issues and controversies involving the church.”
Jaime Laude, a journalist and former seminarian from Antique province, highlighted similarities between Pope Leo and his predecessor.
“Just like the late pontiff, he's been deeply immersed with the marginalized people in society like those in the Philippines, especially in Latin America where for decades he’s been assigned,” Laude said.
“I, for one, have high hopes that the new pontiff will further strengthen the Catholic faith in all of us Roman Catholic believers … also hoping that his advocacies through faith and teachings will promote world peace.”
Many Filipinos were aware that Pope Leo was no stranger to the Philippines, because he has visited over the years, according to reports from local media.
Angeline Patricia Fae, an analyst in Manila, is hoping to see a continuation of Pope Francis’s papacy.
“I hope that the new Pope Leo XIV will continue what Pope Francis preached and embodied: a church that is welcoming and accepting,” she told Arab News.
“I pray for a fruitful rule and as well for his well-being. God bless.”
Other Filipinos are hopeful that the new pope will bridge divisions in an increasingly chaotic world.
“I wish the holy father to be a prophet of dialogue in our divided world,” Ted Tuvera, a Filipino theologian and candidate for priesthood, said.
“Instead of seeing the ‘other’ as ‘others,’ may we see and meet them as neighbors.”
Monsi Alfonso Serrano, who is based in Manila, believes that Pope Leo’s election will neutralize the divisions created by US President Donald Trump.
“The name of Cardinal Robert Prevost didn’t surface as a potential pontiff … This is how God works; mysterious and beyond human comprehension,” Serrano said.
“The pope’s first address was a call for building bridges since Trump has been enjoying driving wedges between different countries in the world … The world needs a pope that calls to build bridges instead of walls.”
Pope Leo XIV appeals for ‘no more war’ in first Sunday message
- Pope Leo calls for ‘authentic’ peace in Ukraine
- Pontiff appeals for Gaza ceasefire, release of Israeli hostages
VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV appealed to the world’s major powers for “no more war” in his first Sunday message to crowds in St. Peter’s Square since his election as pontiff.
The new pope, elected on May 8, called for an “authentic and lasting peace” in Ukraine, a ceasefire in Gaza, and the release of all Israeli hostages held by militant group Hamas.
Leo also welcomed the recent fragile ceasefire between India and Pakistan, negotiated overnight, and said he was praying to God to grant the world the “miracle of peace.”
“No more war!” the pope said, repeating a frequent call of the late Pope Francis and noting the recent 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, in which some 60 million people were killed.
Leo said today’s world was living through “the dramatic scenario of a Third World War being fought piecemeal,” again repeating a phrase coined by Francis.
The new pope said he carries in his heart the “suffering of the beloved people of Ukraine.”
Hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed direct talks with Ukraine aimed at ending the bloody three-year war, Leo appealed for negotiations to reach an “authentic, just and lasting peace.”
The pope also said he was “profoundly saddened” by the war in Gaza, calling for an immediate ceasefire, humanitarian aid and release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas.
Leo said he was glad to hear of the recent India-Pakistan ceasefire and hoped negotiations would lead to a lasting accord between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
He added: “But there are so many other conflicts in the world!“
US-BORN POPE SPEAKS ITALIAN TO CROWD
Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, is the first US-born pontiff and was a relative unknown on the world stage before his election.
He previously served for decades as a missionary in Peru before first becoming a cardinal to take up a senior Vatican role two years ago.
Leo’s first Sunday address to tens of thousands in the square coincided with a previously planned pilgrimage to Rome by marching bands from around the world.
Minutes before the pope addressed the crowd, bands marched up the broad boulevard leading to the Vatican playing songs such as Y.M.C.A. by the Village People, the theme from the film Rocky, and music by John Philip Sousa, who composed the marching classic “Stars and Stripes Forever.”
The crowd, estimated at more than 100,000 by Italian authorities, was also entertained by bands from Italy, Mexico and other parts of Latin America who came to Rome for the ongoing Catholic Holy Year.
Leo gave his address on Sunday in fluent Italian.
In all of his appearances since his election, Leo has not made any mention of the country of his birth, angering some US conservative commentators.
India and Pakistan ceasefire shaken by overnight border fighting in disputed Kashmir region
- Residents and officials in the disputed Kashmir region say there was overnight border fighting between Pakistani and Indian troops
- As part of the ceasefire, agreed a day earlier, the nuclear-armed neighbors agreed to immediately stop all firing and military action on land, in the air and at sea
- They accused each other of repeatedly violating the deal hours later
ISLAMABAD: A ceasefire to end the conflict between India and Pakistan was shaken by overnight border fighting in the disputed Kashmir region.
People on both sides of the Line of Control, which divides the territory, reported heavy exchanges of fire between Indian and Pakistani troops. The fighting subsided by Sunday morning.
The two countries agreed to a truce a day earlier after talks to defuse the most serious military confrontation between them in decades following a gun massacre of tourists that India blames on Pakistan, which denies the charge.
As part of the ceasefire, the nuclear-armed neighbors agreed to immediately stop all firing and military action on land, in the air and at sea. They accused each other of repeatedly violating the deal just hours later.
Drones were spotted Saturday night over Indian-controlled Kashmir and the western state of Gujarat according to Indian officials.
In the Poonch area of Indian-controlled Kashmir, people said the intense shelling from the past few days had traumatized them.
“Most people ran as shells were being fired,” said college student Sosan Zehra who returned home Sunday. “It was completely chaotic.”
In Pakistan-controlled Kashmir’s Neelum Valley, which is three kilometers from the Line of Control, people said there were exchanges of fire and heavy shelling after the ceasefire began.
Resident Mohammad Zahid said: “We were happy about the announcement but, once again, the situation feels uncertain.”
US President Donald Trump was the first to post about the deal, announcing it on his Truth Social platform. Indian and Pakistani officials confirmed the news shortly after.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on Sunday with top government and military officials.
India, unlike Pakistan, has not said anything about Trump or the US since the deal was announced. Nor has India acknowledged anyone beyond its military contact with the Pakistanis.
Both armies have engaged in daily fighting since Wednesday along the rugged and mountainous Line of Control, which is marked by razor wire coils, watchtowers and bunkers that snake across foothills populated by villages, tangled bushes and forests.
They have routinely blamed the other for starting the skirmishes while insisting they were only retaliating.
India and Pakistan’s two top military officials are due to speak again on Monday.
Putin’s proposed Ukraine talks ‘not enough’: Macron
PRZEMYSL: President Vladimir Putin’s proposal for direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, after Kyiv and its European allies called for a 30-day ceasefire, is “not enough,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday.
“An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations, by definition,” Macron told reporters as he stepped off a train in the Polish city of Przemysl on his return from a trip to Ukraine, adding that Putin was “looking for a way out, but he still wants to buy time.”
Western allies have repeatedly accused Putin of delaying tactics with regards to any potential bid to end the conflict in Ukraine, which has dragged on since February 2022.
Asked if this was another such example, Macron replied: “Yes, it is.”
Macron visited Kyiv on Saturday with the leaders of Germany, Britain and Poland, with the four of them and President Volodymyr Zelensky calling for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire starting on Monday.
Macron warned that Russia would face “massive sanctions” if it did not comply.
The United States and other countries back the proposal, the leaders said.
Speaking at the Kremlin in the early hours of Sunday, Putin proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul in the coming days but did not address the 30-day ceasefire proposal.
“It’s a way of not answering... of showing that he is committed while also trying to maintain ambiguity in the eyes of the Americans,” Macron said.
“We need to stand firm with the Americans and say that the ceasefire is unconditional and then we can discuss the rest,” he added.
Macron also said that Putin’s proposal was “unacceptable for the Ukrainians because they cannot accept parallel discussions while they continue to be bombed.”
He also cast doubt on whether Zelensky would agree to talks in Istanbul given the “complicated” Russian-Ukrainian negotiations held there shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Trump says will increase trade 'substantially' with India, Pakistan
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said late Saturday he would increase trade "substantially" with India and Pakistan.
"I am going to increase trade, substantially, with both of these great Nations," he posted on TruthSocial after the arch-rivals agreed to a ceasefire after days of deadly fighting.
However, since the ceasefire was announced, both sides have traded accusations of truce violations.
