French President Emmanuel Macron revealed on Monday that France possesses intelligence suggesting that the Islamic State (IS) orchestrated the attack at a Moscow concert hall on Friday.
He urged Russia not to exploit the incident by attributing it to Ukraine.
During his visit to French Guiana, Macron informed reporters, “France has information that ‘it was an entity of Islamic State that planned the attack and carried it out.'”
He stressed that this particular group had previously attempted attacks on French soil.
However, Macron cautioned Russia against politicizing the attack, warning that such exploitation would be “cynical and counterproductive.”
He advised against framing Ukraine for the incident.
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The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the assault, which resulted in the deaths of 137 individuals.
Moscow has refrained from commenting on the claim, while Russian security services and President Vladimir Putin have suggested potential links to Ukraine.
Macron mentioned that France had offered increased cooperation to Russian security services and hinted at forthcoming discussions on technical and ministerial levels, sidestepping direct talks with Putin.
Macron has not engaged in personal conversations with Putin since attempting to dissuade him from invading Ukraine in 2022.
Meanwhile, Russia has ordered the detention of four men accused of perpetrating the massacre at the Moscow concert hall on “terror” charges.
The death toll is expected to rise as over 100 individuals remain hospitalized.
