France raises terror threat level to highest after Crocus attack – Reports

France has raised the level of terrorist threat to “extreme threat of terrorist attack” due to the deadly attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow, Le Figaro newspaper reported, citing a statement by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.

Earlier on Sunday, French media reported that President Emmanuel Macron convened a meeting of the defense council to discuss the terrorist attack near Moscow, as well as its consequences.

The report added that France had also allegedly received threats of terrorist attacks in the country.

A shooting occurred on Friday evening in the Crocus City Hall concert venue in the city of Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, followed by a massive fire.

A Sputnik correspondent who witnessed the attack reported that at least three men in camouflage had broken into the music hall, shooting people point-blank and throwing incendiary bombs.

The Russian authorities said that at least 137 people were killed in the attack, while Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of RT and the Rossiya Segodnya media group, said the death toll had reached 143 people.

Eleven people were detained in connection with the attack, including four who were directly involved, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said.

All four suspected shooters were detained in the Russian region of Bryansk, which borders Belarus and Ukraine, the FSB added.

On Sunday, Moscow’s Basmanny District Court said the four suspects were charged with terrorism and ordered to remain in pretrial custody until May 22.

All of them are from Tajikistan and face a life sentence in prison.