Islamic State has reportedly claimed responsibility for a deadly explosion in Russia’s industrial city of Magnitogorsk on New Year’s Eve that killed over three dozen people, monitoring groups have said, contradicting the official explanation for the events.
Authorities named a gas leak as the likely cause for the blast that killed 39 people on Dec. 31 and devastated a 10-story apartment block, causing part of it to collapse. Investigators said no traces of explosives had been found in the rubble as rumors and anonymously sourced reports pointed toward terrorism, citing a minivan explosion the next day that killed three people on a nearby street.
The Islamic State terrorist group-affiliated Al Naba newspaper claimed credit for the fatal explosion in Magnitogorsk, three terrorist monitoring groups said early on Friday, citing an "exclusive" issue of the weekly newspaper.
The Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC) said an Islamic State affiliate in the North Caucasus had planted a bomb “between the third and 10th floors” of the apartment block in the Urals city.
Russia's Investigative Committee released a statement Friday saying that all explanations were being considered in its ongoing probe into the blast. The committee said that a gas leak was being considered as the most likely explanation and reiterated that no traces of explosive materials had been found at the site of the explosion.
"I call on journalists to refrain from trusting the messages of terrorist organizations, which, as is well-known, attribute all high-profile incidents in the world to themselves," the committee's spokesperson, Svetlana Petrenko, said in the statement.
Meanwhile, a widely circulated report published Friday by journalist Nikita Mogutin claimed that the apartment blast had been caused by explosives planted by three men who had planned a series of terrorist attacks in Magnitogorsk on New Year's Eve. The unconfirmed report based on unnamed sources claimed that another explosive device had been found in the city on Jan. 1 and that the three plotters had been killed after attempting to flee security forces.
Islamic State is a terrorist organization banned in Russia.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
