Russian messaging platform Telegram has blocked thousands of user accounts involved in initiating terrorist attacks after the attack on the Crocus City Hall venue near Moscow last week, Telegram founder Pavel Durov said on Thursday.
"Tens of thousands of attempts to send such messages [calling for terrorist attacks] have been stopped, and thousands of users participating in the flash mob have faced permanent blocking of their Telegram accounts," Durov wrote on Telegram.
Four days ago, Russian users of Telegram started complaining about messages from strangers calling for terrorist attacks, Durov said. Within an hour of receiving such complaints, the messenger's administration team applied a number of technical and organizational measures to prevent this activity, he added.
"Telegram is not a place for unsolicited spam and calls for violence," Durov said.
On Wednesday, a source told Sputnik that those who carried out a terrorist attack in the Crocus City Hall venue were recruited via a Telegram channel belonging to the Afghan branch of Daesh* - Khorasan Province (ISIS-K).
The Russian Investigative Committee said that at least 143 people were killed and 360 were injured as a result of the attack. The four main suspects in the case — all citizens of Tajikistan — were detained and charged with terrorism.
The Crocus City Hall terrorist attack is the deadliest in Russia in nearly 20 years.
*A terrorist organization banned in Russia and many other states.