Nineteen jailed over Moscow Crocus City Hall attack after closed-door trial

# Nineteen jailed over Moscow Crocus City Hall attack after closed-door trial

A Russian military court has jailed 19 people over the deadly Crocus City Concert Hall attack near Moscow, imposing life sentences on four gunmen and 11 accomplices and handing four others prison terms of 19 to 22 years.

The event date for this report is 2026-03-12. The case stems from the attack on March 22, 2024, when gunmen opened fire at the concert hall in Krasnogorsk and then set the venue ablaze. BBC News said 149 people were killed and more than 500 injured, making it the deadliest mass shooting in Russia in two decades.

According to the report, around 6,000 people had been inside the auditorium for a rock concert when the attackers entered and began firing randomly. The fire spread through the venue and eventually caused the roof to collapse. Many victims died from gunshot wounds, while others died from smoke inhalation.

The court proceedings were held behind closed doors. BBC News noted that the men who first appeared in court showed signs of having been beaten and that one was brought in on a wheelchair, raising questions about the conditions under which evidence and confessions may have been obtained.

The four gunmen convicted in the case were identified as citizens of Tajikistan. The 11 other defendants who received life sentences were said to have helped with money and weapons or to have had links to terrorist groups. Four additional defendants were convicted of helping the gunmen sell a car and rent a flat.

The Islamic State group affiliate that claimed the attack also posted video evidence, which the BBC said it verified as genuine. Moscow has repeatedly accused Ukraine of involvement, but no evidence has been presented publicly and Kyiv has strenuously denied any connection.

The report also placed the attack in a wider geopolitical context. It noted that Russian officials have continued to use the case to argue that Ukraine was linked to the massacre, even as the trial focused on the defendants before the military court. The BBC said the attack was carried out by an Islamic State affiliate known as IS-K, an offshoot that operates across parts of Central and South Asia and Iran.

The verdict closes one chapter in a case that has remained one of the most politically charged and violent episodes in Russia’s recent history, but the broader debate over responsibility, due process and the handling of suspects is likely to continue.