The White House said Friday it had no initial indications that Ukraine, which is fighting a Russian invasion, was involved in the "horrific" attack on a concert hall near Moscow, reports UNN citing AFP.
Details
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the United States was still gathering information after Russian officials said militants opened fire in a "terrorist" attack, leaving dead and wounded.
"There is no indication at this point that Ukraine or the Ukrainians were involved in the shooting," Kirby told reporters. "I would dissuade you at this early hour of any connection to Ukraine.
Kirby also offered condolences to the victims of the attack, news of which broke minutes before the daily White House briefing.
"The images are just horrific and hard to look at and our thoughts will obviously be with the victims of this horrible, horrible attack," he said.
Add
The U.S. Embassy warned on March 7 that "extremists" were planning something in connection with the Russian presidential election just days away, but Kirby said Washington had no prior knowledge of the attack.
"I'm not aware of any further information on that," adding that he did not believe the previous warning regarding Friday's attack.
The U.S. State Department has now warned all Americans to avoid concerts or malls and stay put after the recent violence, he added.
Recall
On Friday, March 22, a shooting broke out at the Crocus City Hall shopping center near Moscow . Eyewitnesses reported a large number of fatalities.