Four gunmen are among 11 people arrested following a shooting massacre in a packed Moscow concert hall, according to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
Videos broadcast on Russian media appear to show the detention and violent interrogation of the suspects.
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In one piece of footage a man was marched out of a forest, his face covered in blood from what appeared to be an ear injury, before struggling to speak in Russian.
Another video showed a man trembling on his knees as he answered in heavily accented Russian to a series of barked questions.
He was initially shown lying on his stomach with his hands bound behind his back, his chin resting on the boot of a figure in camouflage uniform.
Sky News has not been able to independently verify the videos.
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The men were from Tajikistan, according to Russian news reports.
The former Soviet country is in Central Asia, predominantly Muslim, and borders Afghanistan.
Mr Putin has claimed the gunmen attempted to flee to Ukraine in the aftermath of the mass shooting, in which at least 133 people were killed.
The allegation came despite the Islamist terror group Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) claiming responsibility for Friday night’s attack.
“They tried to hide and moved towards Ukraine where, according to preliminary data, a window was prepared for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the state border,” Mr Putin said of the suspects.
But neither he nor the FSB publicly presented proof linking the attack to Ukraine, which it invaded 25 months ago.
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His words were met with derision from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said it was “absolutely predictable” that “Putin and other scum are just trying to blame someone else”.
The thousands of Russians dying on Ukrainian soil would be better used stopping terrorists at home, said Mr Zelenskyy.
“They [Russia] drove hundreds of thousands of their terrorists here, on Ukrainian soil.
“They are fighting against us and they don’t care what happens inside their own country.”
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Who are IS-K and why would they target Russia?
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IS-K said its four members used automatic rifles, a pistol, knives and firebombs, firing into the crowd and using knives to kill some concertgoers, in a raid that was part of their ongoing war with countries that are fighting Islam.
The group was behind the August 2021 Kabul airport bombing that killed 13 US troops and 170 Afghans during the US withdrawal from the country.
What is IS-K and why would it target Russia?
Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) has taken credit for attacks by other terror networks in the past, but it is almost certainly behind the deadly assault in Russia, though nothing is impossible.
The group has claimed responsibility, and the chatter picked up by Western intelligence services in the days leading up to the atrocity also indicated something was coming.
The number of people killed in Friday’s shooting near Moscow is grim and likely to keep climbing.
Many people presumed Islamic State (IS) had been neutered, but it has been growing in strength in recent years, particularly IS-K.
Click here to read Alex Rossi’s full analysis
The group also claimed responsibility for bombing a memorial procession in Iraq in January, killing 95 people.
Sunday has been declared a day of mourning in Russia, as investigators continue to search the charred wreckage of the theatre for more victims.
Flags have been lowered, entertainment events cancelled, and advertising suspended on TV channels, according to state news outlet RIA Novosti.
Meanwhile, Russia launched an airstrike on Kyiv early on Sunday, Ukrainian officials have said.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram there were explosions in the capital after the region’s military administration said that air defence systems were engaged in repelling the attack.
Eyewitnesses are reported to have heard several blasts and saw some air weapons being shot down.
Source Agencies
