Russian, US Officials Offer Conflicting Narratives on Moscow Terror Attack
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Russian and American officials have offered conflicting accounts on details surrounding the Moscow terror attack that killed over 130 on Friday.
Shared Intelligence: The U.S. reportedly warned Russia of a looming extremist threat before the attack took place. Media sources across the spectrum have reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the warnings, but Russian ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, said on Sunday that “no information was transferred” to the Russian embassy in Washington regarding the threat.
Prior Warning: On March 7, the U.S. embassy in Moscow warned American citizens to avoid concerts in Moscow over the coming 48 hours. Though no terror attack took place, BBC News (Center bias) concluded that “other details do tally closely with events on 22 March.”
Suspects Apprehended: In total, 11 people were arrested in connection with the massacre, including four gunmen who were reportedly apprehended near Ukraine. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) believes the suspects were attempting to flee to Ukraine where they “had appropriate contacts.”
ISIS’ Involvement: ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, and U.S. officials have corroborated the claim, but Russian state media and the Kremlin have not mentioned the terror organization, and have instead pointed to Ukraine as responsible. Kyiv has denied involvement, and the U.S. has echoed the denial.
How The Media Covered It: Western media and Russian media have reported differently on the involvement of ISIS, and prior warnings from the U.S. ZeroHedge (Lean Right bias) highlighted some of the differences between the Western and Russian narratives.
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