UPDATE - Türkiye condemns 'heinous terrorist attack' in Russia's Moscow region

UPDATES WITH REMARKS BY TURKISH VICE PRESIDENT

By Merve Berker

ANKARA (AA) — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that Ankara condemns the "heinous terrorist attack" in the Moscow region, Turkish diplomatic sources said on Friday.

In a phone call, Fidan expressed Türkiye’s condemnation of the attack to Lavrov while conveying condolences to the Russian nation and government, the sources added.

Separately, Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement: "It is with great sadness that we learned of the many deaths and injuries resulting from the attack on a concert hall in Moscow this evening."

In addition, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said on X: "I condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attack on a concert hall in Moscow, the capital of Russia, in which many people lost their lives and were injured."

"Terrorism targeting innocent people is a crime against humanity, no matter where it is in the world or who commits it," he stressed.

He also offered his condolences "to the families of those who lost their lives and the Russian people, and wish a speedy recovery to the injured."

Gunmen killed 40 people and injured over 100 others in a shooting at a concert hall near Moscow, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Friday.

The incident took place in Krasnogorsk, the administrative center of the Moscow region, where the music band Picnic was performing in the Crocus City Hall, according to preliminary information. The group was uninjured in the attack, law enforcement agencies said.

An explosion at the venue later caused a large fire. The country's Emergency Ministry said that about a third of the building was engulfed in flames, with several helicopters working to extinguish the blaze.

The fate of the shooters remains unknown, with reports claiming they managed to flee the scene.

Over 100 people have so far been evacuated from the building, the ministry added, with more people awaiting assistance on the roof.