The Turkish ruling party’s spokesman pointed to “lobbies” interested in the Ukraine conflict
Flowers are seen left by the burnt-out Crocus City Hall concert venue in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, on March 25, 2024. © Olga MALTSEVA / AFP
Acts of terrorism such as the Crocus City Hall massacre tend to have state sponsors, Omer Celik, a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), said on Thursday.
The Moscow concert venue was attacked and set on fire by a group of gunmen last Friday, who killed 143 people and injured over 300. Eleven suspects – including the four alleged perpetrators – have since been apprehended by Russian security services.
“It is obvious that it is impossible to carry out such a professional action without the support of intelligence of any state,” Celik, who is also the AKP deputy chairman, told the Turkish TV station NTV.
“Such events always have sponsors,” he added, pointing to “lobbies that want the war to continue,” in reference to the Ukraine conflict.
Intelligence agencies of Türkiye are assisting Russia in fighting terrorism, Celik said, adding that Ankara has sent “sincere condolences” to Moscow over the tragedy at Crocus City Hall.
The terrorist group “Islamic State Khorasan” (ISIS-K) claimed responsibility for Friday’s massacre. Ukraine denied having any role in it.
All suspects in Russian custody turned out to be ethnic Tajiks, whom President Vladimir Putin described as “radical Islamists.” The gunmen were caught as they tried to flee across the border into Ukraine. The US and the EU have insisted that Kiev had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the attack, but offered no evidence for their claim that ISIS-K was the sole culprit.
Russian intelligence and law enforcement have since discovered evidence that the suspects received a substantial amount of cryptocurrency from Ukraine as payment for the attack. A person allegedly involved in financing the attack has been detained, but the Investigative Committee has not made his or her identity public yet.
