Around March 22, 2024, a concert hall in Russia faced a devastating attack with 4 gunmen killing about 145 people. One of the shooters is believed to be found, the suspect’s name is Faridun Shamsiddin, he is 25 years old, and he is believed to have recruited 2 other people to take part in the shooting. Faridun is from Tajikistan and Tajik forces were seen nearby a couple of hours after the shooting and they reportedly kidnapped the suspect’s father for interrogation.

A Jihadist Islamic group was behind the attack but their motives are still unknown. Around 2000 people have joined this group from 2014-2016, most being recruited from Russia. This group has confirmed that they were the ones behind the attack with them even releasing video footage of the shooting. There are 9 suspects total and they have all been detained for the time being.

Russian state TV began to broadcast the interrogation videos of four suspects, all citizens of Tajikistan. One of the men said on camera that the post-attack plan had been “to head towards Kyiv”. This has led Russia to believe that Ukraine had something to do with this attack. When the suspects appeared in court, they had signs of torture on them, most likely from harsh interrogations.

One Russian journalist gave a baseless accusation that Western media “had more sympathy for those who carried out the terrorist attack which killed more than 140 defenseless people, than for the victims….” Some American journalists stated this was an attempt to diminish the West’s reputation.