PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has condemned a shooting rampage in Russia that killed at least 115 people before the performance of a Soviet-era musical band inside a concert hall.
“I am profoundly saddened by the innocent lives lost in the horrific ISIS attack at the concert hall in Moscow,” Mr. Marcos said in a social media post. “My deepest condolences to the families affected by this senseless act of terrorism.” “We stand united in condemning terrorism in all its forms.”
The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the deadliest terror attack in Russia’s history, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has been linking the terror attack to the war in Ukraine.
The Afghan arm of IS, also known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, said via the Telegram channel of an affiliate media outlet that it was behind the attack, a claim that the US has backed.
“ISIS bears sole responsibility for this attack,” US National Security spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. “There was no Ukrainian involvement whatsoever.”
She said Washington had “shared information with Russia about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow.”
Ukraine, which has been locked in a war with Russia since 2022, has denied involvement in the terror attack, saying it has never “resorted to the use of terrorist methods.”
In an X post, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Moscow might use the attack to justify its war against Kyiv and step up operations as part of its “military propaganda.”
In an X post on March 8, the US Bureau of Consular Affairs advised US citizens in Russia to avoid large gatherings, saying Washington’s embassy in Moscow was monitoring reports that “extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts.”
The United Nations Security Council called the attack “heinous and cowardly.”
“We condemn terrorism in all its forms and stand in solidarity with the people of Russia in grieving the loss of life from this horrific event,” the US State Department said.
China, France, India and Italy also condemned the attack.
The Philippine Foreign Affairs department earlier said no Filipinos were harmed in the gun attack. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza
