Isis has claimed responsibility for the attack. Two sources familiar with the American information said that since November there had been a steady stream of intelligence that ISIS-K – an affiliate of ISIS that is active in Afghanistan and the surrounding region – was determined to attack Russia. Moscow has intervened tellingly in Syria’s civil war, to the support of President Bashar al-Assad and against ISIS. A US official said Friday that Washington had no reason to doubt ISIS’ claim that it was responsible for the latest attack. On Friday, following reports of the Crocus City Hall attack, the US embassy advised US citizens not to travel to Russia.

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Persons: Vladimir Putin, Gunmen, Isis, Putin, Adrienne Watson, “, tellingly, Bashar al, Assad, ” Michael Kugelman, Washington Organizations: CNN, ISIS, Crocus, Hall, US National Security, RIA Novosti, Wilson Center, Reuters, Central Asian Locations: Moscow, Russia, United States, ”, Khorasan, Kaluga, Afghanistan, Washington, Crocus