UPDATE 4 - Türkiye condemns 'heinous terrorist attack' in Russia's Moscow region

ADDS REMARK BY TURKIYE’S AMBASSADOR TO MOSCOW

By Merve Berker, Esra Tekin and Alperen Aktas

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

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

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said separately 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 wrote 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 said.

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

Yilmaz characterized terrorism a “scourge” on the entire world. “Therefore, we need to increase international cooperation on terrorism,” he said.

He urged countries not to engage with terror organizations but 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 and extended 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.

Türkiye’s Ambassador to Moscow Tanju Bilgic “strongly” condemned the attack and offered condolences to Russia and its people on X.

- Attack during concert

Gunmen killed 40 people and injured over 147 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.

After the US had said that Ukraine was not involved in Moscow concert hall attack, Russia said that "investigation" carried out too quickly, the culprits to be found by the Russian law enforcement.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned "in the strongest possible terms" a deadly attack targeting a concert hall northeast of central Moscow in Russia.

Russia had criticized the organization over its earlier statement, saying the UN should be "appalled" not "saddened" over the attack.

The foreign ministries, leaders of several European, Latin American, Eurasian and Middle Eastern countries, among others, expressed their condolences to the families of those killed or injured in the attack.

The French ministry, for its part, described the images as horrific and said, also on X, that "our thoughts go to the victims and injured, and the Russian people. All the light must be shed on those heinous acts."

EU spokesperson Peter Stano said on X that the bloc was "shocked and appalled by the reports of a terrorist attack" in Moscow.

"The EU condemns any attacks against civilians. Our thoughts are with all those Russian citizens affected," he added. Spain also condemned "any form of violence," saying: "We are dismayed by the news coming from Russia."