A Russian court today sentenced to life imprisonment the four perpetrators and 11 accomplices of the attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue in Moscow, in which 150 people died in 2024.
The four perpetrators — Chamsidine Faridouni, Dalerdjon Mirzoiev, Makhammadsobir Faizov and Saidakrami Ratchabolizoda, all Tajik nationals — and the 11 accomplices received the same life sentence, as requested by the Russian public prosecutor, AFP reported from the courthouse in the Russian capital.
During the sentencing, several defendants appeared with their heads bowed inside a glass enclosure reserved for defendants, guarded by security forces.
Claimed by the Islamic State extremist group, the attack was the worst in Russia in nearly 20 years and the deadliest on European soil, with 150 dead and more than 600 injured, including children. Shortly before a rock concert, armed men stormed the Crocus City Hall in Moscow on March 22, 2024, opened fire on the crowd and set the venue ablaze, trapping many people inside.
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The attack caused profound shock in Russia, which at the time had been at war in Ukraine for two years. The Kremlin pointed to Kyiv as responsible, but never provided proof of the accusations. Ukrainian authorities denied any involvement.
Russia has since intensified anti-immigration laws and rhetoric, despite a large number of Central Asian citizens living and working in the country — a shift that has generated tensions between Moscow and countries in the region.
