MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. More than 130 people who were injured in the terror attack on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall have been interviewed by investigators, head of Russia’s Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin said.
"As many as 160 forensic and genetic examinations have been commissioned and are being held to identify those dead and the causes of death. As total of 131 people who were hurt in the terror attack and more than 500 witnesses have been interviewed," he said at a meeting chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to Bastrykin, eyewitness evidence indicates that the fire in the auditorium was caused by the attackers who poured gasoline on a seating and walls and set them on fire.
Bastrykin also added that Russia’s Investigative Committee has reconstructed the timeline of the terrorist attack on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall concert venue.
"Investigators have established a complete timeline of the attack," he said.
Thus, according to the investigators, four criminals arrived to the Crocus City Hall building in a Renault car at 7:54 p.m. Moscow time (4:54 GMT). At 7:58 p.m. Moscow time, the terrorists opened fire from automatic guns at people outside the building. Then, they proceeded inside Crocus City Hall, firing at people who happened to be nearby, regardless of their gender or age.
"Using gasoline in plastic bottles that they brought on them, they set the premises on fire and left the building at 8:11 p.m. Moscow time," Bastrykin said. "The first investigation results indicate that the terror attack was thoroughly planned."
The attack lasted 17 minutes.
"While leaving the parking lot, the criminals’ car, moving at high speed, ran down pedestrians - a family with two small children. The children received serious injuries and were taken to hospital," he said.
On the evening of March 22, a terrorist attack targeted the Crocus City Hall music venue in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Region, just over the Moscow city limits. According to the Russian Investigative Committee, the current death toll is 139, but may rise. The Moscow Region Health Ministry said that 182 people were injured.
Eleven individuals suspected of being involved in the terrorist attack have been apprehended, including four gunmen who were detained in the Bryansk Region, southwest of Moscow, as they attempted to seek refuge by crossing the nearby Ukrainian border.
President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address that, according to preliminary information, the Ukrainian side had prepared "a window" in the border especially for the terrorists to cross undetected. He promised to identify and punish all those who were behind the attack on Crocus City Hall.