Russia is recovering from a mass shootout at a rock concert in Moscow’s Crocus City Hall which has been labelled as a “terrorist attack” by the government. The death toll of the attack has reached 143, according to media reports with multiple left injured.
Here are the previous attacks which took place in Moscow in the last 25 years.
Bomb blast in apartment building, 118 killed (1999)
A bomb blast took place at an eight-storey apartment building early morning on September 13, 1999, in southeast Moscow in which 118 people were killed.
This was one of those five attacks on apartment buildings. In all the five attacks took place in southern Russia and Moscow in a two-week period, a total of 293 people lost their lives.
The attacks were blamed by Moscow on separatists belonging to the Muslim North Caucasus republic of Chechnya.
The attacks were used as a justification by Russian President Vladimir Putin for launching a campaign to destroy a separatist insurgency in Chechnya.
Theatre hostage incident, 130 killed (2002)
Around 19 female and 21 male Chechen rebels stormed inside the Dubrovka theatre of Moscow on October 23, 2002, when a musical was going on and took more than 800 people as hostage.
The standoff between the security forces and hostages continued for two days and three nights. This came to an end when gas was injected into the theatre by the security forces to overpower the attackers and then entered inside it.
In all, 130 hostages were killed. Most of them were killed by choking on the gas.
Rock concert attack, 15 killed (2003)
Two female suicide bombers on July 5, 2003, blew themselves up amid a rock concert at the Tushino airfield near Moscow. In the attack, 15 people were killed and 50 others were injured. The two female suicide bombers were identified by Russia as Chechen separatists.
Nearly, 20,000 fans had gathered to hear some of the top bands in Russia at the annual Krylya (Wings) festival.
Metro bomb blast, 41 dead (2004)
A bomb was detonated by a little-known Chechen group on February 6, 2004, in a filled Moscow subway in morning rush hour in which 41 people were killed.
Metro suicide bombing, 40 dead (2010)
Two female suicide bombers on March 29, 2010, blew themselves up on the Moscow subway. In the attacks, one of which had targeted Lubyanka station, 40 people were killed. The other target was the headquarters of the FSB intelligence services.
Watch: Islamic State claims responsibility for Moscow concert hall shooting
The two bombers belong to the volatile North Caucasus region of Dagestan. The attack’s responsibility was claimed by the Caucasus Emirate group of Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov.
Suicide bombing at airport, 37 killed (2011)
A suicide bomber on January 24, 2011, attacked Moscow Domodedovo International Airport’s arrivals hall in which 37 people were killed. The Caucasus Emirate group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
(With inputs from agencies)
