Islam, a 15-year-old footballer and part-time cloakroom attendant, shares his account of the Crocus City Hall incident
Islam, a young football player with the Spartak children’s team, was fifteen years old when he spoke about the terrorist attack at the Crocus shopping center. He worked part time at Crocus as a cloakroom attendant, a detail noted by Sport Express in its reporting. The teenager described the moment he realized something was terribly wrong and how he managed to respond under pressure.
Islam recalled waking up to the shock of the event in the morning. He described the scene as he moved between floors, noting that he was on the minus first floor beneath the stairs when he first spotted one of the attackers on the first floor, roughly thirty meters away. He said, I saw him, then they went to the hall where the show was being held. The memory of that moment remained vivid for Islam as he processed what was happening around him.
In the days preceding the attack, Islam, like many Crocus employees, received guidance about a potential threat to the shopping center. When the violence began, the teenager took action to help others escape danger. He helped to lead people out of the building and restrained those who attempted to move in the wrong direction or who did so independently. Through his calm and decisive actions, he helped more than one hundred people reach safety.
On the evening of March 22, Crocus City Hall became the site of a terrorist attack. The assailants opened fire before setting the concert hall on fire. All of the attackers were detained and taken into custody. The scheduled concert by the Piknik group had been planned for that evening at the shopping center, adding to the tension of the events that unfolded.
Earlier, the IOC issued a statement regarding security measures at the Olympic Games following the terrorist attack in Çiğdem. The remarks highlighted ongoing concerns about safeguarding large public venues and the importance of preparedness in the face of violent acts.
Source attributions: reporting on Islam’s statements and details about the Crocus City Hall incident were provided by Sport Express, with additional context from official statements regarding safety measures surrounding the Olympic Games.