Isis attack on Moscow: Russia says US trying to cover up 'something' - Times of India

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NEW DELHI: Russia has raised concerns over the United States' immediate attribution of blame following the recent

terror attack in Moscow

, with Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for

President Vladimir Putin

, labeling the quick judgment as peculiar. This skepticism comes amid an ongoing Russian investigation into the tragic incident that left 143 dead at a concert venue.

Early conclusions drawn by US and EU

Hours after the attack at Crocus City Hall, both the US and EU were quick to absolve Ukraine of any involvement, pointing the finger at

Islamic State

Khorasan (Isis-K) as the sole perpetrator.

Peskov finds the rush to a definitive narrative by the Americans particularly odd. "It's strange, to say the least, that the Americans have dared to announce a single narrative," Peskov expressed, suggesting an ulterior motive to distract from a yet undisclosed issue.

The Russian law enforcement's ongoing efforts to establish a concrete understanding of the events have been seemingly overshadowed by these external pronouncements.

The arrest of suspected perpetrators

As per a Russia Today report, the narrative was further complicated by the arrest of four Tajik nationals early Saturday, as they allegedly attempted to escape into Ukraine. These individuals were identified by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) and described as "radical Islamists" by security services. Despite this, Putin pointed out that the attack bears the hallmarks of Ukraine's foreign backers' hostile activities against Russia, leaving room for unanswered questions.

US's firm stance on Ukraine's innocence questioned

Maria Zakharova, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, also criticized the US for its unwavering dismissal of Ukraine's potential involvement. She argued that if Ukraine were indeed innocent, the US would have advocated for a comprehensive investigation instead of outright denying Kiev's participation. "Based on what data and what information?" Zakharova questioned, implying that the US's immediate defense of Ukraine serves to also deflect scrutiny from its own role in supporting the Kiev regime.

"In order to ward off suspicions from the collective West, they urgently needed to come up with something, so they resorted to ISIS, pulled an ace out of their sleeve, and literally a few hours after the terrorist attack, the Anglo-Saxon media began disseminating precisely these versions," she said

Zakharova said that it was "extremely hard to believe" that Islamic State would have had the capacity to launch an attack.

(With inputs from agencies)