• Gunmen stormed a concert hall in Moscow on Friday, killing 40 people and injuring more than 100.
  • Earlier this month, the US embassy issued a security alert warning of a potential terror attack.
  • Just days ago, Vladimir Putin dismissed the idea as “blackmail” from the West.

Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed US warnings about a potential terror incident in Moscow just days before gunmen attacked a concert hall in the city on Friday.

At least 40 people are dead and more than 100 are injured after multiple armed individuals stormed the Crocus City Hall in Moscow, state-run news agency TASS reported, citing Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, which called the incident a “terrorist attack.”

Graphic videos posted to social media are purporting to show the attack unfolding. In some of the footage, gunshots and screams of concertgoers can be heard.

According to Russian state media, the unidentified gunmen were armed with assault rifles and opened fire in the lobby of the building before moving into the main concern hall, where a band was scheduled to perform. It added that an explosion inside the venue sparked the fire, which has engulfed at least a third of the building and spread to the roof.