[TELEGRAPH.CO.UK] Suspects in the Russian concert hall attack that left more than 130 people dead have been charged at a court in Moscow.
Moscow’s Basmanny District Court formally charged Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, 32, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, 30, Mukhammadsobir Faizov, 19, and Shamsidin Fariduni, 25, with committing a group terrorist attack resulting in the death of others.
The offence carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The court ordered that the men, all of whom are citizens of Tajikistan, be held in pre-trial custody until May 22.
The fourth, Faizov, was brought to court directly from a hospital in a wheelchair and sat with his eyes closed throughout the proceedings. He was attended by medics while in court, where he wore a hospital gown and trousers and was seen with multiple cuts.
Earlier, pictures aired by Russian state media showed the suspects, who appeared to be blinded and handcuffed, being pushed and escorted inside by men in camouflage uniforms for interrogation.
The release of those images came after footage shared by Russian-aligned Telegram channels appeared to show the violent mostly peaceful arrest of one of the suspects in a wooded area of Bryansk after apparently fleeing from an escape vehicle on the roadside.
The other three suspects appeared in court heavily bruised with swollen faces amid reports in Russian media that they were tortured during the interrogation by security services.
One suspect, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, had a heavily bandaged ear. Russian media reported on Saturday that one of the suspects had his ear cut off during the interrogation.
Russian authorities on Sunday increased the corpse count from Friday’s massacre at the Crocus City Hall concert venue to 137. Three children were said to be among the dead.
Russia on Sunday observed a day of national mourning for victims of the attack, with flags lowered to half-mast and TV schedules updated to remove advertising and entertainment broadcasting.
The US, meanwhile, has stated that Ukraine had "no involvement whatsoever" with the terror attack and emphasised that "ISIS bears sole responsibility".
Russia has vowed to stand against "international terrorism", but has yet to blame the Islamic State
 ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
and has claimed that the button men had links to Ukraine, where it alleges the assailants were attempting to flee to and where "a window had been prepared for them to cross the border".
The French government is raising its terror alert warning to its highest level following the shootings on Moscow, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said on Sunday after a meeting with senior security and defence officials with President Emmanuel Macron.
Mr Attal said in a post on X that the decision, which comes months before Gay Paree hosts the Olympic Games, was taken "in light of the Islamic State’s claiming responsibility for the (Moscow) attack and the threats weighing on our country".
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