Lukashenko hints at Moscow attackers' plans to flee to Belarus

Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday that the gunmen who attacked a concert hall near Moscow last week may have wanted to flee to his country, according to state news agency Belta.

Lukashenko said that security measures were put in place along Belarus' border with Russia when it became apparent, after the attack on the Crocus City Hall last Friday, that the perpetrators had driven a car into the Russian region of Bryansk, which borders Belarus and Ukraine.

The authoritarian long-term ruler of the ex-Soviet republic, which is allied with Russia, said that the attackers "were therefore unable to enter Belarus. They saw that. That's why they turned around and drove towards the Ukrainian-Russian border."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been claiming for days that the suspects had wanted to flee to Ukraine and were expected there. The Ukrainian leadership has rejected this allegation.

Although the Islamic State terrorist militia has claimed several times that it carried out the attack, and experts consider that claim to be credible, Russian representatives continue to insist that Ukraine is involved. They have not provided any evidence to support the allegation.