Russia would be cynical to blame Moscow attack on Ukraine, Macron says – National [Video]

President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday the gunmen who killed 137 people in a concert hall outside Moscow were part of an Islamist group that was behind foiled attempts to attack France over the past few months.

This, in turn, explains why the French government on Sunday increased the security alert to its highest level, Macron said.

Russia, which has challenged assertions by the United States that the Islamic State militant group orchestrated Friday’s attack, continued on Monday to suggest Ukraine was to blame. Macron said this was “cynical and counterproductive.”

“This attack was claimed by Islamic State,” Macron said, “and the information available to us, to our (intelligence) services as well as to our main partners, indicates indeed that it was an entity of the Islamic State which instigated this attack.

“This group has attempted several times to hit France,” he added, referring to Islamic State’s affiliate in Afghanistan, which …