Moscow Court Sentences 19 in Deadly Concert Hall Terror Attack

A Moscow court has sentenced 19 individuals for their roles in a devastating terror attack at a concert venue that left 149 dead and over 600 injured. The March 2024 massacre at Crocus City Hall was claimed by ISIS, with four gunmen opening fire on concertgoers before setting the building ablaze.

MOSCOW — Nineteen individuals received lengthy prison sentences Thursday after a Moscow court found them guilty of participating in a horrific terror attack that claimed 149 lives and injured more than 600 people at a concert venue last year.

The devastating assault occurred on March 22, 2024, at the Crocus City Hall, where four armed attackers opened fire on audience members who had gathered to watch a popular rock band perform. After the shooting, the perpetrators ignited the building, creating additional chaos and casualties in what became one of Moscow’s most deadly attacks in recent memory.

An affiliate of the Islamic State organization took credit for the brutal incident.

The court imposed harsh penalties on all defendants: fifteen received life imprisonment, while one was sentenced to 22 and a half years behind bars. The remaining three individuals each received sentences of 19 years and 11 months.

Proceedings commenced in August 2025 within a military tribunal, which is standard procedure for terrorism-related cases. Authorities conducted the trial without public access, citing safety and security reasons.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with other government officials, has alleged Ukrainian involvement in the attack, though they have not provided supporting evidence. Ukrainian leadership has categorically rejected these accusations.

Russia’s Investigative Committee, the nation’s primary criminal investigation body, stated that the assault was “planned and carried out in the interests of the current leadership of Ukraine in order to destabilize the political situation in our country.” The agency also pointed out that the four main suspects attempted to escape toward Ukraine following the attack.

Law enforcement apprehended the four primary suspects, all citizens of Tajikistan, within hours of the incident. When they later appeared before a Moscow court, they showed visible signs of having been severely beaten during their detention.

Among the other defendants were three individuals who provided a vehicle to the suspected gunmen, a landlord who rented them an apartment, and ten additional people facing terrorism-related charges, according to the independent Russian news outlet Mediazona.