Chaldean Patriarch returns to Baghdad after nine months of self-imposed exile amid political dispute
Baghdad AP A prominent Iraqi Christian religious leader who left Baghdad amid a political dispute last year returned to the capital this week at the invitation of the country’s prime minister after nine months of self-imposed exile in northern Iraq’s Kurdish region. Cardinal Louis Sako was welcomed warmly by a church packed with members of the country’s […]
Iran alerted Russia to security threat before Moscow attack, sources say
Dubai, United Arab Emirates Reuters Iran tipped off Russia about the possibility of a major “terrorist operation” on its soil ahead of the concert hall massacre near Moscow last month, three sources familiar with the matter said. In the deadliest attack inside Russia in 20 years, gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons at concertgoers on […]
Russia seeks extradition of Ukraine security service head; Ukraine rejects demand
Reuters Russia is demanding that Ukraine hand over all people connected with terrorist acts committed in Russia, including the head of the country’s SBU Security Service, the foreign ministry said on Sunday. The SBU immediately dismissed the Russian demand as “pointless” and said the Russian ministry had “forgotten” that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin was the […]
Foreign diplomats lay flowers in memory of Russia’s concert hall attack victims; Tajikistan says migrants fleeing Russia
Moscow, Russia Reuters Ambassadors from a number of foreign countries took part in a ceremony on Saturday in memory of the victims of this month’s concert hall attack near Moscow which left dozens dead, the Russian foreign ministry’s protocol department said. Gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons at concertgoers on 22nd March in the worst […]
Russia links concert shooting to “Ukrainian nationalists”; US says “nonsense”
Moscow, Russia/Washington DC, US Reuters Russian investigators said on Thursday they had found proof that gunmen who killed more than 140 people at a concert last week were linked to “Ukrainian nationalists”, an assertion immediately dismissed by the United States as baseless propaganda. Russia has said from the outset that it believes Ukraine was linked […]
Russia says it is hard to believe Islamic State could have launched Moscow attack
Moscow, Russia Reuters Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that it was “extremely hard to believe” that Islamic State would have had the capacity to launch an attack on a Moscow concert hall last Friday that killed at least 143 people. Zakharova repeated Moscow’s assertions, for which it has not yet provided […]
Nearly 100 people still missing after Moscow attack, Russian news site says
London, UK Reuters As many as 95 people are still missing after last week’s attack near Moscow when gunmen sprayed concertgoers with automatic weapons and set the venue on fire, a Russian news outlet reported on Wednesday. The official toll from the attack on Crocus City Hall now stands at 140 dead and 182 wounded. […]
Eighth suspect in Moscow attack appears in court, rights commissioner warns on torture
Reuters Russia remanded in custody on Tuesday a Kyrgyzstan-born man suspected of involvement in Friday’s mass shooting at a Moscow concert hall, and sent investigators to Tajikistan to question the families of four men charged with carrying out the attack. Eight suspects have now been remanded in pre-trial detention since gunmen sprayed concertgoers with bullets […]
Intelligence failure?: Moscow shooting poses awkward questions for Russia’s intelligence agencies
Reuters correspondents report in the aftermath of last week’s mass shooting at the Crocus City Hall…
Putin says Islamists carried out concert attack, implies Ukraine had a role
Moscow, Russia Reuters Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged on Monday that last week’s deadly attack at a concert outside Moscow was carried out by Islamic militants, but suggested it was also to the benefit of Ukraine and that Kyiv may have played a role. Putin’s remarks, to a Kremlin meeting devoted to measures taken in […]