Gunmen opened fire at a concert hall in a Moscow suburb on Friday, March 22, leaving an unspecified number of people dead and wounded before a major fire spread through the building, Moscow's mayor and Russian news agencies reported.
Attackers dressed in camouflaged outfits entered the building, opened fire and threw a grenade or incendiary bomb, according to a journalist for the RIA Novosti news agency who was at the scene. RIA Novosti, quoting its journalist, said "automatic gunfire" had left victims at the theatre.
Fire quickly spread through the Crocus City Hall, north of the Russian capital, where the theatre can hold several thousand people and has staged several concerts by top international artists. Video posted on social media showed plumes of black smoke rising over the building.
Russian media reports said that riot police units were being sent to the area as people were being evacuated. "Unknown people opened fire at the Crocus City Hall. The evacuation of people is ongoing," emergency services told TASS news agency.
Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the Moscow region, said he was heading to the area and set up a task force to deal with the damage. He didn't immediately offer any further details.