A court in Moscow on Thursday convicted 19 people of involvement in the 2024 shooting rampage in a Moscow concert hall that killed 149 people and wounded over 600 in one of the deadliest attacks in the capital in years.

A faction of the terror group ISIS claimed responsibility for the March 22, 2024, massacre at the Crocus City Hall concert venue in which four gunmen shot people who were waiting for a show by a popular rock band and then set the building on fire.

All 19 defendants were handed lengthy prison terms: 15 were sentenced to life in prison, one was handed 22 1/2 years in prison, and three others were given 19 years and 11 months each.

The trial began in August 2025 in a military court, as is customary for terrorism charges, and took place behind closed doors, with the authorities citing security concerns.

President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials have claimed, without presenting evidence, that Ukraine had a role in the attack. Kyiv has strongly denied any involvement.

The Investigative Committee, Russia's top criminal investigation agency, has said that the attack had been "planned and carried out in the interests of the current leadership of Ukraine in order to destabilize the political situation in our country." It also noted the four suspected gunmen tried to flee to Ukraine afterward.

The four, all identified as citizens of Tajikistan, were arrested hours after the attack.

The suspects — identified as Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Saidakrami Murodali Rachabalizoda, Shamsidin Fariduni and Muhammadsobir Fayzov — appeared in a Russian court showing signs of severe beatings.

Those tried alongside them included three men who sold the suspected gunmen a car, a man they rented an apartment from, and 10 others accused of terrorist ties, according to independent Russian news site Mediazona.

The assault in Moscow came two weeks after the U.S. warned of a potential attack targeting large gatherings in the Russian capital. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow had publicly advised Americans to stay away from events, including concert venues, because of the potential for a terrorist attack.

"Like yesterday"
The verdict came ahead of the day marking two years since the killings.

"For us all it's like yesterday," Ivan Pomorin, who was filming the Crocus Hall concert at the time, told the Agence France-Presse news agency in the court.

"For us, the victims and relatives of the victims, it is not clear whether everyone is brought to justice, it looks like these are not the people who could organize it, the Investigative Committee should continue to work," he added.

The four gunmen — aged 20 to 31 at the time — worked in various professions, among them was a taxi driver, factory employee and construction worker.

They stood in the glass defendants cage, surrounded by security guards.

According to media reports, Mirzoyev's brother was killed fighting in Syria, possibly leading to his radicalization.

TASS state news agency reported this month, citing a lawyer, that two of the defendants had asked the court to be sent to fight in Ukraine instead of a life sentence.

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