Russian diplomat says US didn’t pass along ‘concrete’ info before attack
Written by ABC AUDIO ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on March 24, 2024
Russia’s ambassador to the United States claimed on Sunday that the U.S. Administration didn’t pass “concrete information” through the Russian Embassy in Washington about possible preparations for the terror attack at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall.
“Nothing was passed,” Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov told Russian state news agency TASS while answering a question about whether any information was handed over by the U.S. side before the terrorist act.
He added, “No concrete information, nothing was transferred to us.”
A U.S. State Department official said Saturday that the U.S. government had shared information on a possible attack with Russian authorities in accordance with its longstanding “duty to warn” policy.
That information sharing came ahead of Friday’s deadly attack on a Moscow venue, which Russian investigators said killed at least 137, including three children. Dozens more were injured. The search for bodies under the rubble of the complex continued on Sunday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed Saturday that four suspected gunmen responsible for the attack were arrested near Russia’s western border with Ukraine, Russian news agencies reported.
Seven others have been detained and the search for other accomplices is ongoing, the state news outlets reported.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the deadly attack Friday night, in which gunmen opened fire on concertgoers at one of Moscow’s largest entertainment complexes. The attackers then set the complex on fire.
Antonov described the official Washington reaction to the attack on Friday as “rather muffled,” adding that the administration followed on Saturday with a “clear” statement. But it was unclear how much information Washington officials had passed on prior to the attack, he said.
“The question arises whether U.S. officials passed all the available information to the Russian side, as they state,” the ambassador said.
ABC News’ Shannon K. Crawford contributed to this story.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
