Witness recounts the moment 'hero' confronted the terrorist at the Russian theater

Elena said a brave man rushed in to grab the terrorist's gun in the Crocus theater, helping dozens of people escape.

Elena, 61, went to the Crocus City Hall Theater on the outskirts of Moscow on the evening of March 22 to see the band Picnic perform. But before the show started, gunfire erupted in the auditorium as four terrorists stormed in and opened fire indiscriminately.

Elena was not sure if this "hero" survived the tragedy or not, because she did not see him afterwards. She had to rush outside because the sound of gunfire continued to echo in the theater.

A woman cries as she pays tribute to the victims of the Crocus theater shooting at the Russian embassy in Armenia on March 23. Photo: AFP — A woman cries as she pays tribute to the victims of the Crocus theater shooting at the Russian embassy in Armenia on March 23. Photo: *AFP*

The woman was burned by the fire and it was several minutes after the flames broke out that she dared to crawl towards the exit.

Some survivors said security guards in the theater acted professionally and quickly opened the exits, guided people to escape, and reassured people not to panic.

However, many people were unable to escape from the theater, as some of the doors were locked.

"The gunmen shouted and shot people in the back, ordering 'lie down, don't move'. I don't know how we escaped, we were sitting near the door and luckily it was open," one victim recounted.

According to Russian investigators, after the shooting, the terrorists continued to set fire to the Crocus Theater while people were still trapped inside. The fire broke out, burned down the auditorium and caused the ceiling to collapse, burying many people. At least 133 people were killed, more than 100 were hospitalized.

Russian authorities announced that they had arrested 11 people, including four suspects directly involved in the shooting at the Crocus theater. Russia has not yet announced the identities and nationalities of the suspects. However, a spokesman for the Tajik Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that they had contacted Russia about information that its citizens were involved in the terrorist attack.

Ngoc Anh (According to RT/Reuters/AFP )

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