MOSCOW, March 25, 2024 (BSS/TASS) - The international community must unite to find the masterminds of the terrorist attack late last week on a crowded concert at Crocus City Hall in suburban Moscow, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova said.

"It is very important for the entire world community to unite today to find the masterminds and hold them accountable to the fullest extent," Moskalkova said at a makeshift memorial near the site of the attack.

The ombudswoman also expressed condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased, wished a speedy recovery to those who were affected by this "monstrous, bloody terrorist attack." "Of course, the heart is filled not only with pain but also with hatred towards those who were able to commit this monstrous act," Moskalkova said.

On the evening of March 22, a terrorist attack targeted the Crocus City Hall music venue in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Region, just over the Moscow city limits. According to the Russian Investigative Committee, the current death toll is 137, but may rise. The Moscow Region Health Ministry said that 182 people were injured. Eleven individuals suspected of being involved in the terrorist attack have been apprehended, including four gunmen who were detained in the Bryansk Region, southwest of Moscow, as they attempted to seek refuge by crossing the nearby Ukrainian border. 

President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address that, according to preliminary information, the Ukrainian side had prepared "a window" in the border especially for the terrorists to cross undetected. 

He promised to identify and punish all those who were behind the attack on Crocus City Hall and declared March 24 a day of national mourning for the victims.