UPDATE 3 - Türkiye condemns 'heinous terrorist attack' in Russia's Moscow region

UPDATES WITH REMARK BY TURKISH PRESIDENT'S CHIEF ADVISOR

By Merve Berker, Esra Tekin and Alperen Aktas

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that Ankara condemns Friday’s "heinous terrorist attack" in the Moscow region, Turkish diplomatic sources said.

In a phone call, Fidan expressed Türkiye’s condemnation of the attack to Lavrov while conveying his condolences to the Russian people and government, the sources added.

Separately, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement: "It is with great sadness that we learned of the many deaths and injuries resulting from the attack on a concert hall in Moscow this evening."

In addition, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said on X: "I condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attack on a concert hall in Moscow, the capital of Russia, in which many people lost their lives and were injured."

"Terrorism targeting innocent people is a crime against humanity, no matter where it is in the world or who commits it," he stressed.

He also offered his condolences "to the families of those who lost their lives and the Russian people, and wish a speedy recovery to the injured."

Yilmaz also called terrorism a “scourge” on the entire world, adding: “Therefore, we need to increase international cooperation on terrorism.”

He urged countries all around the world not to engage with terrorist organizations but instead work together against them.

“Whatever guise it may be under, religious, ethnic, or ideological, we condemn terrorism. Let me once again emphasize that terrorism is an inhumane method,” he added.

Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus also condemned the “heinous terrorist attack” targeting civilians in Moscow, and extended his condolences to Russia and its people.

Akif Cagatay Kilic, chief advisor to the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, also condemned the attack "targeting innocent people at the concert hall in Moscow."

"Wherever in the world it may occur, we will stand against terrorist attacks targeting innocent civilians," he said on X.

"Our condolences to the Russian people and the Government of the Russian Federation," he added.

- Attack during concert

Gunmen killed 40 people and injured over 100 others in a shooting at a concert hall near Moscow, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced late Friday.

The incident took place in Krasnogorsk, the administrative center of the Moscow region, where the music band Picnic was performing at Crocus City Hall, according to preliminary information. The group was uninjured in the attack, law enforcement agencies said.

An explosion at the venue later caused a large fire. The country's Emergency Ministry said that about a third of the building was engulfed in flames, with several helicopters working to extinguish the blaze.

The fate of the shooters remains unknown, with reports claiming they managed to flee the scene.

Over 100 people have so far been evacuated from the building, the ministry added, with more people awaiting assistance on the roof.