"We demand urgent action." Victims of the Crocus terrorist attack are demanding the seizure of the Agalarovs' property. What is the reason?
Crocus victims have asked the Russian Investigative Committee to seize the Agalarovs' assets.
Photo: Kirill Kallinikov / RIA Novosti
Victims of the criminal case surrounding the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall concert hall near Moscow are asking the Russian Investigative Committee (IC) to seize the property of its owners, businessmen Araz and Emin Agalarov. This was reported by one of the victims' lawyers.
We ask the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation to take urgent measures to seize the property of the owners of Crocus Group, Crocus JSC, Crocus Profi private security company, and Crocus International JSC.
Igor Trunov, lawyer
The petition states that this must be done to ensure the rights of victims to compensation for damages caused by the failure to provide services that meet safety requirements, which resulted in casualties. According to the lawyer, the petition was accepted.
Lawyer Igor Trunov stated that Crocus JSC was responsible for maintaining the fire suppression system and access control, which ensures the opening of emergency exits. Crocus Group, in turn, was responsible for providing cultural and entertainment events, and Crocus Profi was responsible for building security.
In 2021, Araz Agalarov was included in Forbes' list of Russia's 200 richest businessmen. He ranked 100th with a net worth of $1.2 billion.
Emin (left) and Araz (right) Agalarovs
Photo: Grigory Sysoev / RIA Novosti
As investigators previously determined, after the terrorists set the concert hall on fire, the standard fire suppression system failed to work. Consequently, the fire was not extinguished in time and spread to adjacent rooms.
Furthermore, people attempting to escape were unable to leave the premises in a timely manner due to problems with the emergency exits, some of which were locked during the evacuation, the lawyer explained.
As a result, approximately 45 of the more than 140 victims of the terrorist attack did not survive due to exposure to high temperatures and smoke inhalation.
No less
121
human
suffered from wounds and burns
A total of 2,300 people are victims in the Crocus case. The criminal case itself contains approximately 500 volumes.
Photo: Alexey Maishev / RIA Novosti
The tragedy that shook the entire country—one of the largest terrorist attacks in modern Russia since the Beslan school siege— took place on March 22, 2024. Four key suspects stormed the concert hall armed with weapons and attacked the audience during a performance by the rock band Piknik.
Hundreds of people suffered injuries of varying severity. Some are still recovering from burns. Many suffer from nervous tics. Others managed to escape just minutes before the attack: some went out for air, others for water or a smoke break.
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