The White House has described Russia’s allegation that Ukraine was involved in the attack on the Crocus City concert hall as “nonsense”.
National security spokesman John Kirby said it was clear that Islamic State was “solely responsible.”
He added the US passed a written warning of an extremist attack to Russian security services, one of many provided in advance to Moscow.
Artist’s social media feed became timeline of terror during concert attack
For 30 minutes last Friday night, Alyona Kazinskaya’s cheerful social media feed turned into a timeline of terror.
Ms Kazinskaya and a friend had bought last-minute tickets to a rock gig at Crocus City Hall, where gunmen rampaged through the building, killing more than 140 people.
Bursts of loud gunfire could be heard in her first 10-second audio message posted on Telegram at 8.01pm.
“I love you all. I’m in Crocus City Hall – Picnic. They’re shooting here, at the concert. I’m in the hall. Call the police.”
She told Reuters she tried to escape but people were already crowding the exit.
“At that moment they [the gunmen] entered the hall. Then I threw my friend to the floor and I said ‘let’s crawl’.”
At 8.08pm she wrote three messages with trembling fingers in quick succession.
“Please ring the police!!!!!”
“Crocus City Hall.”
“Shooting.”
By now, the pair of them had escaped the hall but were still trapped inside the building.
At 8.17pm, a one-word audio message: “Fire!”
The gunmen had used gasoline to set the huge concert hall ablaze.
The two friends took refuge in a toilet, trying six times to leave but thwarted by thick smoke.
By 8.23pm, she left a four-second audio message she thought would be her last.
“I love you. Goodbye.”
Yet the pair would escape after finding a man hiding in another toilet who knew a way out of the building.
At 8:31pm she left a new audio message: “I’m alive. I’m getting first aid. I got out. Thank you.”
Russian military plane crashes into sea near Crimea
A Russian military aircraft has crashed into the sea off the Crimean port of Sevastopol, the Russian-installed governor of the region said.
The pilot safely ejected and was picked up by rescuers, Mikhail Razvozhayev said.
Сivilian objects were not damaged. It was not clear what caused the incident.
Earlier, Russian Telegram channels reported that a Russian Su-35 fighter jet had crashed near Sevastopol.
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