Firefighters work in the burned concert hall after an attack on the building of the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia on March 23, 2024. AP
Russian authorities detained 11 people in connection with Friday's attack, which saw camouflaged gunmen storm into Crocus City Hall, open fire on concert-goers, and set the building ablaze, killing at least 139 people.
Tajik nationals Rachabalizoda Saidakrami and Shamsidin Fariduni "were able to travel freely between Russia and Turkey since there was no warrant for their arrest", the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday acknowledged for the first time that "radical Islamists" were behind last week's attack at the concert hall but suggested they were linked to Ukraine.
Islamic State jihadists have said several times since Friday that they were responsible, and IS-affiliated media channels have published graphic videos of the gunmen inside the venue.
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