2 suspects in Moscow concert hall terrorist attack appear in court

Two suspects in connection to the deadly Moscow concert hall terrorist attack appeared in the city’s district court Sunday night.

The Associated Press (AP) reported that two of the suspects in the concert hall shooting that left more than 130 people dead on Friday appeared in the Basmanny District Court on Sunday night. The AP reported a heavy police presence around the court, which is expected to determine pretrial restrictions for the two men suspected of opening fire on the attendees at Crocus City Hall.

The news service noted that one of the suspects was blindfolded while walking into the courthouse. It was revealed he had a black eye after the blindfold was removed.

Russian authorities arrested four suspects Saturday and detained an additional seven people on suspicions with involvement in the attack. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack — with U.S. agencies confirming it.

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson confirmed the Islamic State was responsible in a statement reported by AP.

“ISIS bears sole responsibility for this attack. There was no Ukrainian involvement whatsoever,” Watson said.

She also said on social media that the U.S. had warned Russian about a potential terrorist attack earlier this month. The U.S. Embassy in Russia warned “extremists” were planning an attack in Moscow and urged U.S. citizens to avoid large gatherings, including concerts.

“Earlier this month, the U.S. Government had information about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow — potentially targeting large gatherings, to include concerts — which prompted the State Department to issue a public advisory to Americans in Russia,” she said.

Russia observed a national day of mourning on Sunday for the victims of the attack — which left at least 137 people dead and another 154 people reported injured.

The Associated Press contributed reporting