Russia jails for life Islamic State-linked Tajiks over concert hall attack that killed 149

MOSCOW, March 12 (Reuters) - A Russian military court handed down life sentences on Thursday to four ​Tajik men and 11 accomplices over ‌their involvement in a mass shooting that killed 149 people at a concert hall near Moscow two ​years ago, Russian state news agency ​TASS reported.

Prosecutors charged 19 people in connection ⁠with the shooting spree at the Crocus ​City Hall on March 22, 2024 - the deadliest ​such attack in Russia in two decades. The Islamic State-Khorasan, or ISIS-K, claimed responsibility.

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The four other defendants ​were given sentences ranging from 19 to ​22 years in prison, Russia’s RIA state news agency ‌reported.

It ⁠was not immediately clear how the defendants pleaded or whether they would appeal. Their trial was held behind closed doors, as ​is customary with ​such ⁠cases in Russia.

ISIS-K is the Afghan offshoot of the militant group ​that once sought control over swathes ​of ⁠Iraq and Syria. It has been linked to several other plotted attacks in southern Russia and Azerbaijan ⁠in ​recent years, a trend that ​has alarmed intelligence services.

Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Lucy ​Papachristou; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Alex Richardson

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