Putin says cannot stop with blaming Islamic extremists for Crocus blast

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that some questions regarding the bomb blast in the Crocus City Hall do not allow one to rule out a Ukrainian connection, although the act as such was carried out by radical Islamists. At a meeting on Monday to discuss measures taken after the terrorist attack, Putin said many question remain about the act that lead one to doubt role of other actors too.

"We know that the crime was committed by the hands of radical Islamists, whose ideology the Islamic world itself has been fighting for centuries," Putin said.

The Russian President said that the perpetrators are already known, but now "we are interested in who ordered the crime", Xinhua news agency reported.

He said that the US, through various channels, is trying to convince everyone that there is supposedly no Kiev trace in the bloody terrorist attack.

However, Putin believes clear answers are not available for the question what drove the Islamist outfit to go for such an action and what they would gain by it. "It is necessary to obtain answers to a number of questions, for example, are radical, even terrorist, Islamic organizations really interested in striking Russia, which today stands for a fair solution to the escalating Middle East conflict," he said.

dPutin also noted that it is necessary to answer the question of why the terrorists tried to go to Ukraine after committing a crime in Crocus, and who was waiting for them there.

Calling the attack an act of intimidation, Putin said, "The question arises who benefits from this."

The investigation into the terrorist attack should be carried out to the highest degree professionally, objectively and without political bias, despite the general desire to punish the perpetrators, Putin added.

(Inputs from IANS)