The trial of 19 people accused of involvement in last year's attack on a concert hall in Moscow, which killed 149 people and injured hundreds, begins today in Moscow.

On March 22 last year, armed men stormed the Crocus City Hall concert hall, opened fire, and then set the building on fire in one of the deadliest attacks in Russian history.

Hundreds of people were injured. The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack.

Four suspects in the attack, all from Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic in Central Asia, are expected to stand trial, along with 15 others accused of complicity, AFP reported.

The first three hearings are scheduled to take place today (August 4), Tuesday (August 5), and Thursday (August 7), according to the Moscow court's website.

The attack shocked Russia, which has been fighting Ukraine in a military offensive that began on February 24, 2022.

Despite ISIL's claim of responsibility, Russia blamed Ukraine for the attack, which Kiev dismissed as baseless and absurd.

Almost half of the victims died from smoke and carbon monoxide inhaled during the fire, not from gunshots, the state news agency TASS reported, citing case files.

The attack sparked a wave of xenophobia against migrants from Central Asia in Russia. | BGNES