RTThu, 19 Dec 2019 18:11 UTC
© Instagram / masha_araya; instagram / fishy_god
Gunfire has broken out near central Moscow's Lubyanka Square in the immediate vicinity of the Federal Security Service building. The authorities said
the gunman was neutralized and two FSB officers seriously injured.
The shooting occurred around 6pm local time right at the heart of Russia's capital on a street leading to the square and the iconic FSB building and some 10 minutes on foot from the Kremlin.
Gunfire can be heard in several videos from the scene circulating on social media. The footage also shows multiple law enforcement officers in full gear and ambulances.
It still remains unclear what exactly happened. The shooting reportedly started near FSB's public office on Bolshaya Lubyanka street. The security services only confirmed that a gunman was neutralized and Russia's Health Ministry said two FSB operatives received serious wounds during the shooting.
One video clip on social media showed a person running onto the street and falling down, while in another several people can be seen lying on the ground with others trying to give them first aid.
The area is popular with Moscow citizens and tourists for its restaurants, high-end shops and various attractions for the holidays. Civilians have apparently not deemed the incident to be too serious, as
footage from the scene shows them casually strolling past crouching law enforcement officers armed with assault rifles and peeking out of cafe windows.
"Very many shots were fired. I can't tell how many, but very many," eyewitness Vladimir Adyasov told RT. "[The gunfire] lasted about a minute and a half. The situation was very dangerous."
Police can be heard in the videos urging people to leave the area, while public transportation was rerouted. The shooting triggered a large law enforcement response; armed police, as well as the FSB's own special forces, were swiftly dispatched to the scene.
The incident took place
on the day commemorating Russia's day of the security services (FSB) and after President Vladimir Putin finished his annual press conference, although there's no official confirmation that the shooting may be connected to any of the events.
Comment: As usual with mass shootings of this sort, reports of multiple shooters are in conflict with the official narrative of a "lone shooter." This case is no different, so far. Despite initial official reports of a single gunman, Russian media sources quoted eyewitnesses reporting up to 3 gunmen. But RT is
reporting that officials are now denying reports of multiple shooters. So the situation is still confused. But live Russian-language coverage claimed that the FSB confirmed that there WERE 3 shooters, one of whom was highly trained, another who was holed up in the FSB HQ parking lot. Two of the shooters are reported dead, and special forces are reportedly planning to attack the third in the parking lot.
The identity of the shooter who was killed by the FSB has yet to be established.
RT
reports:
While the FSB itself is reportedly treating the incident as an "act of terrorism," Russia's Investigative Committee has described it as an "attempted murder of law enforcement officers," while announcing the launch of a criminal probe.
UPDATE (Dec. 20)Reporting has been all over the place on this one. It seems the Russian authorities have settled on a single shooter. Footage emerged of his final moments:
The shooter had a Kalashnikov, and ended up
injuring a total of 5 and killing 2 (one who was described as a police officer in some reports, but was apparently an FSB employee/guard, and another FSB employee who later died from his wounds). A witness says he was constantly reloading his rifle and
shooting indiscriminately at the wall of nearby houses. The shooter has been
identified as Evgeny Manyurov, a 39-year-old ex-security guard described as a loner and firearms enthusiast:
Russian media identified the gunman as Evgeny Manyurov, a 39-year-old man from Podolsk, a small satellite city located about 16km (10 miles) south of Moscow. His identity was later confirmed by Russia's Investigative Committee.
There is not much public information about him, but he is listed as a member of a Moscow shooting club who took third place in a competition last month in the pistol caliber carbine category.
An instructor at the club said Manyurov was a poor shooter who only trained there for several months. The only outstanding thing about the man was that he insisted on practicing in a trench coat, which, according to the newspaper that conducted the interview, the man wore during the shooting. Footage shows the same type of coat on the shooter on Thursday evening.
Manyurov's mother told another outlet that her son took up shooting three or four years ago and was passionate about it. In fact, he legally owned seven firearms, including two Saiga carbines, two hunting shotguns and a non-lethal handgun. One of the carbines was apparently used in the shooting. Since getting a license for rifles in Russia requires at least five years of ownership of a shotgun, his experience with guns must be even longer.
The suspect also had a background in law and spent some time as a private consultant. That career was apparently not very successful, since it lasted for just five months. For the past several years, he worked as a security guard, but resigned some time ago.
In one interview, Manyurov's mother said her son "spoke on the phone to some Arabs," but they communicated in English, which she does not understand.
The man is said to have been a loner, without any close friends or a long-term partner.
A loner, a poor shooter, the FSB's HQ targeted despite no apparent motive, and mystery calls from English-speaking 'Arabs'.
Hmmm, it sounds like this could be yet another 'wet-op'. But the Russian authorities, like the US authorities lately with the 'random mass shootings' in Pensacola and New Jersey, have elected to 'eat them' by playing them down rather than hyping them in the media.
I have a feeling, the 'official story' in Russia will stay far closer to truth, though I well remember when that was the opposite case.
R.C.