Russia blames Ukraine, the West over Moscow concert hall attack

Russia on Tuesday sought to shift blame for the Moscow concert hall attack onto Ukraine and its Western backers, despite the Islamic State group claiming responsibility for the massacre of at least 139 people.

The Kremlin's security services have been scrambling to explain how gunmen on Friday managed to carry out the worst attack in Russia in over two decades.

The head of Russia's FSB security agency Alexander Bortnikov said Tuesday that while those who had "Ordered" the attack had not been identified, the assailants were heading to Ukraine and would have been "Greeted as heroes".

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said Paris had information that the jihadists were responsible and warned Russia against exploiting the attack to blame Ukraine.

The concert hall massacre was a major blow for Putin just over a week after he claimed a new term after one-sided elections the Kremlin billed as an endorsement of his military operation against Ukraine.

Without providing any evidence, Putin connected the attack at Crocus City Hall to a series of incursions into Russian territory by pro-Ukrainian sabotage groups, and said they were all part of efforts to "Sow panic in our society".

A court in Moscow meanwhile on Tuesday remanded an eighth suspect in custody over the attack at the Moscow concert hall.

Moscow earlier announced it had detained 11 people in connection with the attack, which saw camouflaged gunmen storm into Crocus City Hall, open fire on concert-goers and set the building ablaze.

Four men charged on Sunday with carrying out the attack are citizens of Tajikistan, also in mainly Muslim Central Asia.

A Turkish official said two of the Tajik suspects had travelled "Freely between Russia and Turkey" ahead of the attack.

The two had both spent time in Turkey shortly before the attack and entered Russia together on the same flight from Istanbul, the official said.

The Kremlin has so far pushed back at suggestions the death penalty will be re-introduced after the attack.