A Russian police operation led to the evacuation of a shopping center in Saint Petersburg after authorities received an anonymous bomb threat. The incident occurred after a man was detained for reasons not disclosed, and during questioning he claimed to have placed an explosive device inside the London Mall. The move followed the Crocus City Hall massacre, just two days earlier, and a team of bomb disposal experts was deployed to the area. At this time, officials have not reported any injuries according to the available information.
Another woman was detained on Sunday for a false bomb threat on a Moscow bound flight to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. During interrogation, the woman described her remarks as a joke and offered no further details.
Russian authorities raised the death toll from the Friday attack on Crocus City Hall to 137, with about 154 people injured, most of whom remain in hospital. The venue is located about 20 kilometers from central Moscow. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State group.
On Sunday, a national mourning day was observed for those killed in the Crocus City Hall attack. Early in the morning, residents of Moscow laid flowers at the site in Krasnogorsk where the concert hall stood. Flags at state institutions were flown at half-mast as authorities continued to detain individuals linked to the assault, with eleven people in custody so far, in connection with the attack that has been attributed to the Islamic State group.