Putin suggests Ukraine linked to deadly attack on Moscow concert hall

People place flowers and toys at the fence next to the Crocus City Hall (AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that Ukraine was linked to the attack on a concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow that killed more than 100 people.

The death toll has risen to 115 after an attack by assailants who burst into the venue and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, Russian officials said.

The so-called Islamic State group’s (IS) Afghanistan branch claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack on the Crocus City Hall in a statement posted on social media.

A US intelligence official told the Associated Press that American agencies had confirmed that the group was responsible for the attack.

More than 100 people died in the atrocity (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)

However, some Russian politicians pointed the finger at Ukraine shortly after the attack – accusations that Ukraine has strongly denied.

Mr Putin said all four people directly involved in the attack had been detained and suggested they were trying to cross the border into Ukraine while escaping.

He said additional security measures have been imposed throughout the country and declared that Sunday will be a nationwide day of mourning.

The hall was set on fire after the shooting (AP)

The attack was the deadliest in Russia in years and left the concert hall a smouldering ruin.

The venue had a capacity of more than 6,000 people in Krasnogorsk, on Moscow’s western edge.