By Kamden Tackett
On March 23rd, 2024, a terror attack was carried out at a Concert Hall in Moscow that killed 133 people and left another 145 injured. The perpetrators were caught and taken into Russian prison, showing up to court the next day severely bruised and barely conscious. The attack was carried out by four men at a shopping and entertainment center where a Russian rock band, Piknik, were playing. The four men were associated with ISIS, who claimed the attack as their doing on their Telegram account. U.S. intelligence, as well as the Kremlin both believe ISIS is responsible for the attacks that took place.
The men, Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, 32; Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, 30; Shamsidin Fariduni, 25; and Mukhammadsobir Faizov, 19, were formally charged with “committing a group terrorist attack resulting in the death of others.” A sentence of life imprisonment was handed down by the judge. However, heinous attacks and the sentencing of crimes isn’t where it ends, as pictures circulating on X and other sites show the aftermath of the terrorists being tortured at the hands of their Russian jailors. One of the jailors even claimed to have cut off the ear of Rachabalizoda who showed up to court with a bandage around his head. One of the men, Faizov, was brought to court from the hospital, still dressed in a hospital gown. Upon arriving, he sat with eyes closed throughout the proceedings, even though he had to be attended to multiple times throughout the hearing by nurses. The beating of the terrorists was endorsed by man Russian media outlets, as well as the public who also petitioned for the death penalty. Court officials said Mirzoyev and Rachabalizoda admitted guilt for the attack.
The hearing and sentencing were ongoing while the Russian public observed a National Day of Mourning for the attack. The attack was the deadliest on Russian soil in years and comes off the back of rising nationalistic ideas permeating within Russian society. Putin blamed both radical Islamists as well as Ukraine, saying; “We know that the crime was committed by radical Islamists, whose ideology the Islamic world itself has been fighting for centuries, it is also necessary to answer the question why the terrorists tried to go to Ukraine after committing a crime, who was waiting for them there? It is clear that those who support the Kyiv regime do not want to be accomplices of terror and sponsors of terrorism, but there are really a lot of questions.”
Many Russians were struck to the core and deeply affected by this attack, owing to the violence, but also to the event it took place at. One man said “People came to a concert, some people came to relax with their families, and any one of us could have been in that situation. I want to express my condolences to all the families that were affected here, and I want to pay tribute to these people.” With another saying “It is a tragedy that has affected our entire country, It just doesn’t even make sense that small children were affected by this event.” Three children were counted among the deceased. It was the worst terrorist attack carried out on Russian soil in over 20 years. People across the country have made memorials with flowers, toys and candles to honor the victims. The local health ministry also said that more than 2,700 people donated blood in the Moscow region on Saturday to support the injured.
