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Le méga-yacht de Stéphane Courbit a fait naufrage en mer Egée

Le "Yogi", le navire de croisière de luxe de l'homme d'affaires français Stéphane Courbit, a fait naufrage vendredi en mer Egée, au large de la Grèce. Les huit hommes d'équipage ont été récupérés sains et saufs.

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from haf.webmaster on Vimeo .

Le "Yogi", le navire de croisière de luxe de l'homme d'affaires français Stéphane Courbit, a fait naufrage vendredi en mer Egée, au large de la Grèce, rapporte samedi 18 février Paris Match . Les huit hommes d'équipage ont été récupérés sains et saufs au terme d'une spectaculaire opération d'hélitreuillage.

Le luxueux navire de 60 mètres de long, le plus grand yacht immatriculé en France, avait été lancé en mars 2011 par un un chantier naval turc. Il a été victime d'avaries mécaniques lors d'une tempête, entre les îles de Skyros et Psarra, en mer Egée. Sur les images du sauvetage, le "Yogi" apparaît couché sur le flanc, comme le "Costa Concordia", avant de couler. Le sauvetage de l'équipage a mobilisé deux hélicoptères et une frégate de la marine grecque. Une opération qui a donné lieu à certaines critiques en Grèce, où la population pâtit de la grave crise économique dans laquelle est plongée le pays.

C'est un "nouveau coup dur" pour Stéphane Courbit, commente Paris Match, qui rappelle que ce "jeune loup des affaires" doit trouver 143 millions d'euros que la milliardaire Liliane Bettencourt avait investis l'année dernière dans son groupe et qu'il a promis de rembourser. Stéphane Courbit avait fait fortune au début des années 2000 en revendant sa société de production télévisuelle au groupe Endemol. Il est aujourd'hui actif dans les secteurs de l'audiovisuel, les paris sportifs, les jeux en ligne et la distribution d'électricité, rappelle l'hebdomadaire.

UN "MÉGA-YACHT" EN LOCATION

Le "Yogi" est détenu par la société parisienne Lov NB 49, la structure patrimoniale personnelle de Stéphane Courbit, qui est également propriétaire des hôtels de grand luxe Les Airelles à Courchevel et Pan Dei à Saint-Tropez. Depuis son port d'attache de Monaco, le yacht, dessiné par l'architecte naval Jean Guy Verges, était proposé à la location sur le site www.yogiyacht.net pour 357 000 euros la semaine en basse saison, 378 000 euros la semaine en période de pointe, précise Paris Match.

Le super yacht comprenait 800 mètres carrés d'appartements privés à la décoration inspirée de l'île de Bali, pouvant accueillir 12 personnes, réparties entre six cabines. En saison, l'équipage se composait de quinze personnes, dont cinq marins chargés de la navigation et de la maintenance et deux mécaniciens.

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Yogi: the largest yacht that ever sank and other yacht news

We selected for you top 4  yacht stories  of the last week at  Yacht Harbour .

Yogi: Inside the largest yacht that ever sank

Few events have ever affected yachting as much as the sinking of the 60 meter Yogi. The largest yacht to ever sink, its wreck strongly hit the Turkish shipbuilding sector and made owners take a hard look at their insurances and dangers, even though no one was hurt. Despite the accident, Yogi was no less of an exceptional yacht.

Yogi was the largest yacht ever built by up and coming Turkish shipyard, Proteksan Turquoise at the time of her delivery in 2011. Reminiscent of an explorer style yacht through her design by Jean Guy Verges, Yogi featured oversized portholes in her hull that brought in tons of flight into the yacht’s cabins.

Built for Stephane Courbit, a French media and TV millionaire valued at €450 million, Yogi was built to be operated as a charter yacht part of its hotel collection. Maximizing space, the yacht had many amenities for her size including a swimming pool, beach club, wellness center and media room.

Yet, on February 17th 2012, just as the yacht was days out of leaving the yard where it was undergoing warrantied maintenance work, it sank in the Aegean sea. The weather was particularly difficult during that day and yet it seems to be an engine failure that, tied to a number of circumstantial events, led to the 60-meter yacht sinking to the bottom of the Mediterranean.

New 70-metre trimaran superyacht concept

Wind Motion 70T is a 70-metre trimaran concept by French-based yacht designer Mathis Ruhl. New rigs, developed by a designers are capturing and transforming wind energy into an efficient propulsive force.

50-metre Heesen yacht VanTom delivered

Heesen has announced the delivery of VanTom, the sixth yacht in the popular 50 metre semi-displacement class designed by Frank Laupman at Omega Architects. The delivery took place in international waters on February 14, 2018 after intensive tests in the rough winter waves of the North Sea. The sea trials took place on January 12 and 29 in Beaufort 4 and 6, with North westerly winds and waves up to one metre.

50-metre Project Ayla launched and named White

Dutch yard Heesen has announced that 49.8 metre superyacht previously known under codename Project Ayla is launched and christened White at its Oss shipyard on 8th of February. White was originally built on speculation, but has been bought one year into construction in October, 2017.

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EN IMAGES. Le naufrage du yacht de Stéphane Courbit

Le 17 février 2012, le yacht du magnat français des médias Stéphane Courbit a fait naufrage en mer Egée.

(HO/HELLENIC AIR FORCE/EPA/MAXPPP)

Publié le 20-02-2012 à 11h22

Deux hélicoptères et une frégate de l'armée grecque, mais aussi des navires des gardes-côtes ainsi que quatre bateaux commerciaux sont allés au secours du yacht en détresse. Les huit personnes à bord, toutes françaises, sont saines et sauves.

(HELLENIC AIR FORCE/EPA/MAXPPP)

Le naufrage est survenu "entre les îles de Skyros et Psarra", selon le site de "Paris Match" qui le premier a relaté les faits.

Le navire de 60 mètres de long, flambant neuf, "a été victime d'avaries mécaniques lors d'une tempête", a précisé l'hebdomadaire.

(AP Photo/Greek Navy, HO)

Âgé de 46 ans, Stéphane Courbit a fait fortune en produisant des émissions de télévision. Le voici en avril 2010 à Cannes, en compagnie de sa consoeur Alexia Laroche-Joubert et du ministre de la Culture et de la Communication Frédéric Mitterrand.

(BEBERT BRUNO/SIPA)

Ex-président d'Endemol France, il est désormais à la tête de Lov Group, spécialisé dans la production audiovisuelle, l'internet, les jeux en ligne et l'énergie. Il a également investi dans l'hôtellerie de luxe, notamment dans le palace Les Airelles à Courchevel (photo).

(PHOTOPQR/LE DAUPHINE LIBERE/Sylvain Muscio)

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Courbit perd 22 millions d'euros dans le naufrage de son yacht

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INFO OBS. L'homme d'affaires, mis en examen dans l'affaire Bettencourt, poursuit ses activités - désormais rentables - dans la télévision, l'énergie et le jeu en ligne.

Il est reproché à l'homme d'affaires, qui a fait fortune en cédant ses parts dans le groupe Endemol, d'avoir vendu en mai 2011 à Liliane Bettencourt 20% du capital de sa holding Lov Group, pour 143 millions, en profitant de sa faiblesse.

Le plus grand yacht immatriculé en France

La sanction, tombée en février, vient d'être suivie d'une autre mauvaise nouvelle : le PDG a reçu la facture finale de ce qu'il appelle son "péché d'orgueil". Autrement dit le "Yogi", le plus grand yacht immatriculé en France (60 mètres). Courbit l'avait acheté 35 millions d'euros en mars 2011, et il a coulé le 17 février 2012 en mer Egée. Il était certes assuré à hauteur de 27 millions. Mais, dit un de ses proches, "Axa s'est abrité derrière une modification du bateau, dont il n'avait pas été averti, pour refuser de payer. Stéphane pouvait se lancer dans un long procès mais il a préféré négocier." Il a obtenu 13 millions seulement, soit une perte nette de 22 millions.

"Je n'achèterai plus jamais de bateau !", jure-t-il depuis à ses amis. En revanche, ses autres activités - la production télé (Banijay), le jeu en ligne (Betclic Everest), l'énergie (Direct Energie) - sont désormais bénéficiaires. Ces performances, si elles se confirment, devraient lui permettre de trouver un nouvel investisseur, et de rembourser enfin la famille Bettencourt...

VIDEO. Stéphane Courbit perd son yacht dans un naufrage en mer Egée

Affaire bettencourt : stéphane courbit mis en examen, affaire bettencourt : courbit et l'argent de la bourgeoise, affaire bettencourt : courbit s'explique, stéphane courbit : l'homme qui sait parler aux milliardaires.

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Quand Stéphane Courbit se fait saisir son yacht

Le Foursome est aujourd'hui proposé à la vente pour 3,3 millions d'euros - Columbus Yachts

Le producteur Stéphane Courbit est surtout connu pour les émissions que produit son groupe, Banijay. Touche pas à mon poste, Koh lanta, Fort boyard, N'oubliez pas les paroles, 28 minutes ... c'est lui.

Devenu millionnaire, notre homme a voulu se doter d'un yacht. Mais il n'a jamais eu de chance. On se souvient qu'en 2012 sombra le Yogi , son yacht de 60 mètres, soit le plus grand immatriculé en France. ll l'avait acheté à peine un an plus tôt pour 35 millions d'euros.

Un yacht de 43 mètres de long

Ce qu'on ne savait pas, c'est que sa précédente tentative avait aussi tourné à la bérézina. Dans un premier temps, il avait acquis un yacht long de moins de 31 mètres, un modèle Leopard fabriqué par le français Rodriguez Group.

Mais en 2008, il décide de s'offrir un modèle plus grand. Il conclu un accord avec Rodriguez Group pour acheter un autre yacht de type Leopard, long de 43 mètres cette fois, pour la modique somme de 14,5 millions d'euros. L'accord prévoit que Rodriguez Group reprendra son ancien yacht. En effet, le constructeur cannois achetait souvent l'ancien yacht afin de favoriser la vente d'un nouveau modèle. Il se retrouvera ainsi avec sur les bras un tas de yachts d'occasion sans arriver à les vendre, ce qui le conduira à sa perte, comme nous le verrons plus tard...

Stéphane Courbit verse un acompte de 3 millions d'euros. Mais les deux parties n'arrivent pas à s'entendre sur un accord définitif. Le producteur audiovisuel demande alors le remboursement de son acompte, mais sans succès. Il saisit alors le tribunal de commerce de Cannes. 

Procédure de sauvegarde

Une explication est que Rodriguez Group commence à avoir des problèmes d'argent. Il se place en procédure de sauvegarde le 7 avril 2009. Stéphane Courbit réclame alors son acompte de 3 millions d'euros, plus 4,5 millions d'euros de pénalités de retard (le contrat prévoyait des pénalités de 25.000 euros par jour si l'acompte n'était pas remboursé). Mais la procédure de sauvegarde gèle les dettes des créanciers...

Finalement, en décembre 2009, les deux parties trouvent un accord amiable pour contourner ce problème. Rodriguez Group vend à Lov L 43 Ltd (une société de Stéphane Courbit immatriculée à Malte) un autre yacht de type Mangusta 108-14 long de 33,5 mètres, le Foursome , pour 4 millions d'euros, ce qui rembourse notamment l'acompte. Stéphane Courbit immatricule le Foursome sous pavillon luxembourgeois, mais compte ensuite le revendre, et confie un mandat en ce sens à Rodriguez Group...

Le shérif débarque

Mais les choses ne vont pas se passer comme prévu. Le Foursome , qui mouille à Fort Lauderdale (Floride), attend tranquillement son nouveau propriétaire... quand il est saisi par un autre créancier de Rodriguez Group: un hôtel de Montréal baptisé le Saint James.

Là encore, la vente d'un yacht à cet hôtel a mal tourné. En 2008, Rodriguez Group avait vendu un yacht de la gamme Léopard 34/10 baptisé la Iguana pour 9,1 millions d'euros. En échange, Rodriguez Group devait racheter pour 2,5 millions d'euros le yacht de l'hôtel, un Mangusta 80/52 baptisé le Saint James . Rodriguez Group, lorsqu'il reçoit le Saint James , juge son état technique "mauvais", et que l'accord ne tient plus, et refuse donc de payer les 2,5 millions d'euros.

L'hôtel engage alors une vaste bataille juridique en France, au Canada et en Floride. Pour l'hôtel, "Rodriguez Group n'a jamais eu l'intention de payer, et intentionnellement escroqué l'hôtel Saint James". L'hôtel obtient des jugements en sa faveur au Canada et aux États-Unis, qui lui permettent de saisir en mars 2010 les actifs de Rodriguez Group en Floride. Le shérif local débarque alors et saisit deux yachts: le Sixty Five et le Foursome que venait d'acheter Stéphane Courbit...

Furieux, le producteur de télévision s'adresse alors à la justice française, et obtient la levée de cette saisie. Mais il demande aussi la levée de la saisie à la justice américaine. Mais en vain, car l'hôtel argue que Stéphane Courbit ne doit pas être privilégié par rapport aux autres créanciers. "Il semblerait que le litige se soit finalement résolu par un accord à l'amiable, et Stéphane Courbit a pu récupérer le Foursome ", indique Karine Remond, avocate de l'hôtel Saint James.

Coquille vide

L'affaire s'est mal terminée pour Rodriguez Group, placé en redressement judiciaire le 7 janvier 2014, puis en liquidation judiciaire le 30 juillet 2015, laissant 260 millions d'euros de dettes bancaires, auprès de BNP Paribas, Crédit lyonnais, CIC, Crédit agricole... Le néerlandais Industrial and Marine Diesels, reprend une partie des actifs, mais dit avoir trouvé une "coquille vide", et porte plainte. Suite à cela, une enquête préliminaire pour "escroquerie, abus de biens sociaux, banqueroute, favoritisme, prise illégale d'intérêt et détournement de fonds publics" a été ouverte en 2015...

De son côté, le Foursome a été rebaptisé Pan Dei 2 puis le Mosking . Il mouille actuellement sur la Côte d'Azur. Si le coeur vous en dit, vous pouvez le louer pour 60.000 euros par semaine, ou l' acheter pour 3,3 millions d'euros...

Contacté, l'hôtel Saint James et la porte-parole de Stéphane Courbit n'ont pas répondu.

Retrouvez les autres épisodes de la série ici.

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karo1776 Senior Member

Kafue said: ↑ Even if a modern day Judge is completely dedicated and seeks the “Truth” as you say, the French way means that the judges and magistrates often find themselves isolated and lack the resources to properly investigate the case before them. In this situation the Yogi’s owner has all the money to swing the “truth” as he wishes, whilst the Judge is reliant on a very small budget. This is hardly a level playing field. No surprise at the outcome given the scenario. Click to expand...

Capt Ralph Senior Member

The first French flagged charter vessel in a very long time. Sinks under mystery while still in new condition. Nobody can explain why she's gone. I am feared that we will never know the truth. I also know that it will be a long long time before any yacht is ever chartered flying a French flag again. We also have learned how to get rid of a yacht without much of a muss. ,rc

Marmot Senior Member

rcrapps said: ↑ We also have learned how to get rid of a yacht without much of a muss. Click to expand...

Marmot said: ↑ You've got a good point there. When it comes time to get rid of a white elephant, reflag it, re-crew it, and sink it. With the right flag and a crew certificated by that flag it's a slam dunk, no questions asked, no finger pointing. I think that is the "lesson learned" from this atrocity. Click to expand...

cognitoo New Member

karo1776 said: ↑ True, and due to the commercial exemption... no VAT! And, besides we end up paying the VAT as landlubbers don't like chartering a slanty, slippery deck, weather dependent snails to impress clients and the jet set with tiny saloons and lots of things to trip you overboard. Click to expand...

Felipe Senior Member

Another country,at least another developed country, would have understood early on the need to clarify the Yogi sinking, but not France. Like we have just seen in this very same thread, the concept of globalistion is one they hate and fight against, and always end up loosing. What a show they are putting up with their last 2 nominees to the IMF! As always, they will certainly pay the price of misshandling their flag registry, but will never understand what happended to them.

HTMO9 Senior Member

Be careful Felipe, the french Mirages fly very close to Ibiza on their way to Mali

Felipe said: ↑ As always, they will certainly pay the price of misshandling their flag registry, but will never understand what happended to them. Click to expand...

Marmot said: ↑ That is a nice thought but, quite frankly, the concept of "justice" and "fair play" is a modern myth - at least so far as superyachts are concerned. Flag and class have created a cash cow by developing special "yacht" standards and statutes. They will go to great lengths to avoid an owner jumping ship to another provider of paperwork. The number of yachts, however, is so microscopic that flag will never take a stand that might jeopardize its standing with other flag states in international forums such as IMO. There is a political process in the IMO and maritime administrations that is exactly the same as we see in the US Congress or other governments ... it is based on mutual benefit and compromise, not right or wrong or what might protect those who placed their trust in those who are in a position to do what is right. What do you think would happen if a registry with a large population of superyachts under its flag imposed sanctions on French flagged yachts and French certificated crews? Yogi is a glimpse behind the curtain. Click to expand...

ArcanisX Senior Member

I just had my mind blown. karo1776 said: ↑ ... and the manslaughter trial where he was convicted. Captains of both boats and Tom were charged in the death as Tom owned and was onboard the larger boat. A criminal trial was held and Tom found guilty as were the others charged. No jail time was issued and some modest fines were paid. But the truth, justice and fraternal resolution to the matter was served and made. For all you that are unfamiliar with French Law and legal system it is very logical and based on a system put in place by Napoleon. Its fundamental is to discover the TRUTH and resolve that legal truth to the law . Click to expand...

So when do we get to hear the truth?

Jack Eisenbahn New Member

ArcanisX said: ↑ I just had my mind blown. So in France a conviction of manslaughter is a fine, not jail time? Very logical, very legal... Click to expand...

Trafalgar New Member

owner's news Jack Eisenbahn said: ↑ Here's a link to an article in Le Monde (in French , for most of us here unfortunately) dating back to May 2012 that may lead to some possible explanation. The reasons are not technical, and would give a field day to the conspiration theorists... ( Et le yacht de Stéphane Courbit sombra... ) In short, the owner (a french mogul involved in many different activities, from TV entertainment to power distribution and to on-line gambling...) got himself in sort of a complicated financial situation. There is a line saying something to the extent "Insurances can cover debts" so maybe this could actually have been good news for him. The article goes on by outlining his close relationship with the political powers, lending credibility to the fact that the enquiry may not have been entirely independant and objective. We may continue to speculate on technical causes, but maybe it is not that complicated! FWIW! Click to expand...

K1W1 Senior Member

Hi, That article is quite dated and precedes the sinking of YOGI. The mental condition and ability to recall things of an Alzheimers and Dementia sufferer can vary from one day to the next, there can also be a catastrophic deterioration over the course of 17 months so who knows what the ladies condition is these days. It does say that the money loaned to the Owner of YOGI was repaid so it remains to be seen if this was the only sum she was diddled out of.

fresh news Sorry K1W1, Updated news Unfortunatly in french

Trafalgar said: ↑ Sorry K1W1, Updated news Unfortunatly in french Click to expand...

Sorry Better with the link Affaire Bettencourt : Stéphane Courbit mis en examen

The owner of the sunk boat, Yogi, has been indicted for the misuse of funds of Liliane Bettencourt by fraud in the amount of 143.5 Million Euro. His spokesmen have said this is unfairly based on the sole accusation of a Mr. Gentil. He has bigger problems now than his boat sinking. Understand in France the the investigating Judge (who will preside at the trail) undertakes criminal investigations. And, that judge has found enough evidence to refer the case to the state prosecutor for putting forth an inditement and resolution at trial. Basically, it is alleged he stole money by deceit of fraud as a trusted advisor from an very old sick lady living in Neuilly, the tony area of Paris, who he had obligation to protect. Toast... !

Hi, In the NYT Article I said was dated it says he repaid the money immediately.

K1W1 said: ↑ Hi, In the NYTimes Article I said was dated it says he repaid the money immediately. Click to expand...

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Bal de la Rose 2024 : quel menu d’exception a été servi aux 800 convives ?

Le roi charles iii assistera bien à la messe de pâques, kate et william seront eux absents, michel cymes et son épouse nathalie, le couple prend la pose pour la bonne cause, stéphane courbit : saga d'une réussite à la française.

De la télé-réalité est devenu le premier producteur mondial de télévision. 

Son histoire ressemble au scénario d’une série à suspense. Elle en comporte tous les ressorts : les débuts modestes, l’ascension, les échecs, le secret, le couronnement. Et le secteur : l’audiovisuel, où la course à la taille devient une question de survie davantage que d’ego. Même son physique s’y prêterait, celui d’un beau garçon mince et sportif aux yeux bleus, capables de virer au gris sous l’effet d’une colère rentrée. Et invisible. Pas de photos, pas d’interviews non plus. Le mystère entretient la légende…

Stagiaire dans une petite boîte de production télévisée à ses débuts, Stéphane Courbit trône à la tête du numéro un mondial, 3 milliards d’euros de chiffre d’affaires, 66 000 heures de programmes, avec 200 entreprises dans 23 pays sur trois continents. Parmi ses pépites, des « franchises », dans le jargon du métier, déclinées dans plusieurs langues, les « Kardashian », « Survivor », « The Voice », « Koh-Lanta », « Touche pas à mon poste ! » ou, côté fiction, « Peaky Blinders » et « Black Mirror ». En signant le rachat du groupe Endemol Shine à Disney et au fonds Apollo, le 26 octobre 2019, pour la somme de 2 milliards d’euros, l’entrepreneur de 54 ans, qui a grandi à Puy-Saint-Martin, un village de 850 habitants dans la Drôme, scelle un parcours original en France. « Je l’admire, déclare à Paris Match Nicolas Sarkozy, l’un de ses très proches amis. C’est un homme modeste, qui a tout créé seul, grâce à sa force de travail, son instinct et sa constance. Des patrons de cette envergure, il n’y en a pas beaucoup dans sa génération, surtout hors de la technologie. Il dirige le numéro un mondial des contenus pour la télévision. C’est très important pour la culture française. »

Stagiaire chez Dechavanne, Courbit a l'idée de "Combien ça coûte?", son premier carton à l'Audimat

« Stéphane, café ! » Cet ordre bref lancé plusieurs fois par jour par un Christophe Dechavanne au faîte de sa notoriété, Stéphane Courbit l’a exécuté sans broncher des dizaines de fois. Diplômé de l’Institut supérieur de gestion (ISG), une école de commerce parisienne, après un DUT obtenu à Valence, le fils de Madeleine Giles, salariée de La Poste, et de René Courbit, employé du Crédit agricole de Montélimar, s’était débrouillé dès sa sortie de l’école, en 1990, pour obtenir un stage chez le producteur de « Ciel, mon mardi ! » diffusé sur TF1. Outre les cafés, la petite main de Coyote Production doit développer les services Minitel. Mais l’apprenti se passionne pour les concepts d’émission. Griffonné sur un bout de papier, son projet se traduira par le très populaire « Combien ça coûte ? » présenté par Jean-Pierre Pernaut. La machine est lancée. En mode accéléré. Producteur de « Coucou c’est nous ! », puis de « La première fois », ce taiseux plutôt timide n’a pas peur de grand-chose. Même pas de son éruptif patron, à qui Stéphane Courbit suggère un jour de 1994 de s’associer dans une société dont il détiendrait la majorité du capital. Dechavanne s’étouffe face à une telle prétention. La brouille est consommée. Le nouveau trublion du PAF, marié à 27 ans à un amour de jeunesse et déjà papa de Vanille, s’allie avec Arthur (« Les enfants de la télé »). Le tandem crée Case Productions, rebaptisée ASP, pour Arthur et Stéphane Productions, avec « Le Bigdil » et « Miss France » dans leur portefeuille. Endemol, une entreprise néerlandaise qui mise sur la télé-réalité avec son émission phare « Big Brother », rachète ASP en 1998. Stéphane Courbit décroche ses premiers galons de P-DG aux commandes de la nouvelle structure Endemol France. Son coup de maître suivra trois ans plus tard.

Le jeudi 26 avril 2001, aux alentours de 23 heures, Loana, Steevy et leurs comparses de « Loft Story » envoûtent la France. Plus de 7 millions de téléspectateurs regardent le dernier épisode sur M6, le 5 juillet suivant. La part de marché de l’émission frise les 50 % des « 4 ans et plus », à la fureur du P-DG de TF1, Patrick Le Lay, pris de vitesse. En un coup de poker, le patron d’Endemol France, entre-temps divorcé et remarié en 2005 à Florence, rencontrée pendant leurs études à l’ISG, avec qui il a eu deux autres enfants, a changé de dimension – personnelle, relationnelle et financière.

« Le chromosome de l’entrepreneur diffère de celui du manager », observe Alain Minc, qui a fait la connaissance de Stéphane Courbit à cette époque. « Ce sont des insatisfaits permanents qui pensent toujours à l’opération suivante. » Le « pape du PAF », comme on l’a surnommé après « Loft Story », ne fait pas exception, tout en gardant la tête froide. Il prend tous les jours une heure pour aller nager, il joue au tennis régulièrement et skie dès qu’il le peut. « Il est resté le même », confie Marc-Olivier Fogiel, un autre de ses amis de trente ans. « Il est passé des jeans aux costumes, mais sa relation à l’autre n’a pas changé. Stéphane était déjà conscient de ce qu’il voulait et avait la détermination pour y parvenir. » Un « super papa » aussi, qui limite les déplacements lointains et fuit les mondanités pour consacrer son temps libre à ses enfants, vacances comprises.

L’entrepreneur ne devient « pas mégalo »

Malgré son entrée au Siècle, le club qui rassemble l’élite des affaires et de la politique pour un dîner mensuel, malgré la fréquentation des grands noms du capitalisme français, de Bernard Arnault à Vincent Bolloré, en passant par Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière (les trois seront actionnaires de ses sociétés, et les deux derniers le demeurent), l’entrepreneur ne devient « pas mégalo », comme le confie un intime. « Ce qui m’a tout de suite frappé chez lui, c’est son étonnante humilité », ajoute Alexandre Bompard, le patron de Carrefour, qui l’a rencontré à Canal + au début en 2006, avant de nouer avec lui des liens amicaux. « Il est attentionné et fidèle à ses amis, ceux de son enfance et ceux venus plus tard. C’est quelqu’un qui choisit avec soin ses projets personnels et professionnels pour s’y engager totalement. » Et généreux : dans son village d’enfance, celui qui a « réussi » dans la capitale achète discrètement quelques biens immobiliers pour des membres de son entourage. Ce qui ne l’empêche pas d’être un négociateur né, « dur en affaires ». Le patron est même « une calculatrice ambulante », pour un ancien collaborateur. Quand Endemol est racheté par l’opérateur de télécoms espagnol Telefonica, Stéphane Courbit obtient par contrat une clause qui lui garantit une culbute au-delà d’un certain seuil de résultats. Bingo. Il quitte Endemol pour créer Banijay et empoche 240 millions d’euros, à l’aube de ses 40 ans.

Elevé dans une culture athée, Stéphane Courbit est devenu catholique pratiquant

Sa fortune est faite. Ses ennuis commencent. Plusieurs de ses investissements ultérieurs, dans les jeux en ligne (Betclic) et l’énergie (Direct Energie), le placent en pleine lumière, tandis que leur rentabilité se révèle temporairement en deçà de ses attentes. « Tous les entrepreneurs, un jour ou l’autre, nourrissent des ambitions supérieures à leur cash disponible », constate un banquier. Stéphane Courbit déborde d’idées, comme les autres. Mais sa rencontre avec Liliane Bettencourt, qui s’est concrétisée par un investissement de 143 millions d’euros de l’héritière de L’Oréal dans sa société LG Industrie en 2011, lui a coûté cher et valu un procès pour « abus de faiblesse » . « Ce fut un moment difficile et injuste de sa vie. Il a fait face avec beaucoup de courage », estime le célèbre avocat Jean-Michel Darrois, qui a assuré sa défense. Sa peine a été aussi légère (250 000 euros) que le jugement fut sévère. En plein procès, à Bordeaux, Stéphane Courbit a dû, de surcroît, affronter des soucis familiaux. Avant de voir son yacht, le « Yogi », sa seule fantaisie de multimillionnaire, sombrer en mer Egée en 2012. En réponse aux rumeurs d’escroquerie, lors de l’une de ses rares prises de parole publiques, il a riposté, dans « Le Monde » : « Je regrette qu’un journal de votre qualité reprenne une insinuation aussi aberrante. Je suis victime de ce naufrage. » Tous ses plus proches insistent : l’entrepreneur est sorti essoré de cette tempête. Encore plus secret. Changé. Y compris au plus profond de lui-même. Elevé dans une culture athée de « bouffeurs de curés », Stéphane Courbit est devenu catholique pratiquant.

Sept ans plus tard, son groupe LOV (l’acronyme des initiales des prénoms de ses enfants, Lila, Oscar et Vanille) s’est développé dans trois secteurs, Direct Energie ayant été vendu à Total en 2018. Les jeux en ligne rapportent. L’hôtellerie de luxe, une activité choisie au départ pour consolider le patrimoine destiné à ses enfants, s’est révélée une autre passion (« Stéphane aime ce secteur, confie Marc-Olivier Fogiel, parce qu’il est attentif aux détails. ») « Il possède aujourd’hui trois des vingt-trois palaces français, indique un familier, avec les Airelles à Courchevel, la Bastide de Gordes, et la Messardière de Saint-Tropez rachetée cet été. » Ainsi que, depuis peu, le légendaire Bauer de Venise, voisin du Cipriani. Stéphane Courbit a repris aussi un domaine viticole : le château d’Estoublon, en Provence, celui des « Gens de Mogador ».

Lire aussi.   Cyril Hanouna : "De stagiaire je deviens vedette"

Le rachat d’Endemol Shine est un énorme pari. Financier, d’abord, car le géant des programmes accuse 1,2 milliard d’euros de dettes. Et stratégique : « L’essor des plateformes de streaming, de Netflix à Apple en passant par Disney, favorise la fiction aux dépens des programmes de flux, explique un analyste financier. Le nouveau groupe mise plutôt sur les seconds. » Stéphane Courbit, lui, a résumé sa pensée lors du dernier MIPTV, le Salon mondial de la télévision : « Notre business repose sur deux piliers, les propriétés intellectuelles et les talents. Si vous êtes un acteur d’envergure, vous avez les meilleurs talents et les meilleures franchises. Vous devez donc être gros. Et si vous pouvez grossir encore, alors il ne faut pas hésiter à le faire. » Outre la satisfaction d’avoir conquis un groupe convoité depuis vingt ans, la vraie fierté de Stéphane Courbit, en 2019, est personnelle. Son fils, Oscar, après des études à Franklin et Sainte-Geneviève, vient d’entrer à Polytechnique. La méritocratie républicaine, en trois générations. 

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« sambre » : dino scala, le violeur de l’aube, quand daniel cohen s'interrogeait pour match sur les causes du populisme, bienveillance et respect : le nouveau credo des jeunes au boulot, monica cruz : retour dansant dans « un, dos, tres : nouvelle génération », bande dessinée : simenon inspire le 9e art, « the girl is crying in her latte » : bienvenue chez les sparks, valerio varesi et son commissaire soneri : les racines du crime.

Moscow concert attack: More than 60 reported dead; ISIS claims responsibility

This live blog has ended. For the most recent updates, please click here .

What we know about the Moscow concert attack

• Men in camouflage broke into a Moscow concert hall and opened fire, shooting an unknown number of people, Russia’s prosecutor general said.
• The terror group ISIS has claimed responsibility but did not provide proof of the claim, which was made on ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq on Telegram.
• Russia's Investigative Committee said that more than 60 people are dead after the attack at Crocus City Hall. Officials have said more than 100 others were injured.
• A fire also started inside Crocus City Hall, a large concert venue northwest of central Moscow. Firefighters have evacuated about 100 people from the basement of the building and efforts are underway to rescue people from the roof, Russian emergency officials said.
• Russia officials said they were investigating the attack as a terrorist act.
• A popular rock band was scheduled to play what appeared to be a sold-out show at the venue, which has a maximum capacity of more than 9,000 people.

Three children among those killed, state media reports

Chantal Da Silva

Three children were among the more than 60 people killed in yesterday's attack at Crocus City Hall, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing the Russian Ministry of Health.

Officials have warned that the death toll connected to the deadly incident may increase as the investigation continues.

Xi sends condolences to Putin

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday after a deadly shooting at a concert hall near Moscow, saying China opposes all forms of terrorism and strongly condemns terrorist attacks.

China firmly supports the Russian government’s efforts to maintain national security and stability, Xi said, according to CCTV state television. 

Moscow bloodshed comes two decades after some of worst attacks in Russia

Phil Helsel

The shooting attacks in Moscow are the latest in a series of deadly terror attacks in the country since the 2000s.

In 2004, militants from Chechnya and elsewhere took hostages at a school in Beslan in southern Russia.

The militants demanded a withdrawal from Chechnya. Hostages were kept in a gymnasium, and 334 died — half of them children — when gunfire and explosions erupted when it was stormed. Hostages’ families were critical of the rescue operation. Russian prosecutors later cleared authorities .

Two years prior, in 2002, Chechen separatists attacked the Dubrovka Theater in Moscow and took more than 700 people hostage. Russian forces used gas, and 129 hostages died. The attackers were killed.

More recently, in 2017 a suicide bomber from Kyrgyzstan killed 15 people as well as himself in an attack on a St. Petersburg subway. In 2013, two bombers killed a combined 34 people in attacks on a railway station and a trolleybus in Volgograd.

The group Islamic State, also known as ISIS, claimed responsibility for the attacks Friday at the Crocus City Hall venue.

Putin wishes victims well, deputy prime minister says

President Vladimir Putin is thinking of those injured in today’s attack and thanked doctors, a Russian government official said according to state media.

State media TASS reported that “Putin wished all those injured in the emergency at Crocus City Hall to recover and conveyed his gratitude to the doctors, Golikova said,” referring to Tatiana Golikova deputy prime minister for social policy, labor, health and pension provision.

More than 60 dead, and death toll could grow, Russian agency says

Russia’s Investigative Committee said Saturday that more than 60 people have died in the attack, and warned the number may increase.

“The bodies of the dead are being examined. It has been previously established that more than 60 people died as a result of the terrorist attack. Unfortunately, the number of victims may increase,” according to the Investigative Committee, which is a federal state agency.

Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs and the security agency FSB are continuing to investigate, the committee said in a statement, and weapons and ammunition have been found.

U.S. warned Russia about planned terrorist attack in Moscow, NSC says

Monica Alba

The United States shared information about a potential terrorist attack in Moscow with Russia’s government earlier this month, a spokesperson for the National Security Council said.

The U.S. Embassy in Russia on March 7 warned U.S. citizens to avoid crowds and said it was monitoring reports that extremists might attack large gatherings in Moscow.

“Earlier this month, the U.S. Government had information about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow — potentially targeting large gatherings, to include concerts — which prompted the State Department to issue a public advisory to Americans in Russia,” NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.

“The U.S. Government also shared this information with Russian authorities in accordance with its longstanding ‘duty to warn’ policy,” Watson said.

Putin recently dismissed ‘provocative’ warning about potential attacks

In remarks that aired three days ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of “provocative statements” about potential terror attacks in Russia, and dismissed them.

“I’ll remind you of recent, let’s say directly, provocative statements of certain official Western structures about potential terror attacks in Russia,” Putin said.

“All of this looks like obvious blackmail and an attempt to intimidate, destabilize our country,” he said before the state security agency FSB.

Putin in those remarks did not specify a country or warning. The U.S. embassy in Russia on March 7 warned U.S. citizens to avoid crowds .

“The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours,” the U.S. embassy warned.

Guards at concert hall didn't have guns, state news says

The Associated Press

Guards at the concert hall didn’t have guns, and some could have been killed at the start of the attack, Russian media reported.

Some Russian news outlets suggested the assailants fled before special forces and riot police arrived.

Reports said police patrols were looking for several vehicles the attackers could have used to escape.

U.S. had been gathering intelligence that ISIS could attack Russia

Ken Dilanian

The U.S. had been gathering intelligence for months that ISIS could mount a mass casualty attack in Russia, two U.S. officials confirmed to NBC News.

That information led to a March 7 warning issued by the U.S. embassy in Russia about possible extremist attacks, including at concerts, urging people to stay away from large gatherings, one of the officials said.

That official said the claim of responsibility today by ISIS appears to be genuine, though no final assessment had been made about who was responsible.

Some Moscow concertgoers filmed events as they unfolded Friday night, when gunmen opened fire inside a theater and people ran to take cover in fear for their lives.

Witness says gunfire was first thought to be construction noise

A witness to today’s armed attack on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall told a state news agency that they first mistook the gunfire for sounds of an installation being dismantled.

“First, we started hearing typical loud pops, but it was impossible to understand that they were gunshots. We thought that something was falling, as exhibitions were being dismantled at that moment, and someone seemed to be dropping something large,” Mikhail Semyonov told TASS .

“Then, the bangs were getting more and more frequent. Suddenly, there was a scream, and the bangs started to be heard as bursts. Then it became clear that it was shooting,” he said.

ISIS claims responsibility for attack but does not provide proof

The terror group Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack in Moscow.

The group, also known as ISIS, did not provide any proof of its claim, which came from ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq on Telegram.

The group’s members have carried out a number of terror attacks, including the 2015 attacks in Paris that killed 130 people.

Children among the victims, Russia's children commissioner says

Yuliya Talmazan

Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, said children were among the victims of tonight's attack.

"Information about their condition is regularly updated," Lvova-Belova said on Telegram. "Any additional assistance will be provided immediately."

She later told Russia 24 TV channel that at least two children had been injured, including one boy with a gunshot wound.

Earlier, Russian officials released a preliminary casualty toll of at least 40 people dead and more than 100 injured.

France, U.K., Germany condemn attack

Officials from France, the U.K. and Germany were among those who expressed their condolences to the victims of the attack at the Crocus concert hall.

"The images of the terrible attack on innocent people in Crocus City Hall near #Moscow are horrific," Germany's Foreign Office said on X . "The background must be investigated quickly. Our deepest condolences with the families of the victims."

"We condemn the terrorist attack in the Crocus City Hall near Moscow," the U.K.'s embassy in Russia said . "This is a terrible tragedy."

Meanwhile, France's foreign ministry called for "full light" to be shed on "these heinous acts."

Public events across Russia called off after attack

Several regional leaders across Russia, including in the annexed Kherson region of Ukraine, have canceled public events this weekend over security considerations after the deadly concert attack in Moscow.

Shortly after the attack, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin canceled all sports, cultural and other public events in Moscow this weekend. State news agency TASS also quoted Russia's cultural ministry as saying that mass and entertainment events in federal cultural institutions have been canceled in the coming days.

Zelenskyy adviser speaks out about attack

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s adviser denied that Ukraine was involved in the deadly Crocus concert hall attack.

“Ukraine certainly has nothing to do with the shooting/explosions in the Crocus City Hall (Moscow Region, Russia),” Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on X. “It makes no sense whatsoever.”

No evidence has emerged to suggest Ukraine may have been involved, but Ukrainian officials may be trying to pre-empt accusations, as some Kremlin hawks have already started pointing at Kyiv. 

Asked whether the shooting was at all tied to the war in Ukraine, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said: “There is no indication at this time that Ukraine, or Ukrainians, were involved in the shooting, but again, this just broke. We’re taking a look at it, but I would disabuse you at this early hour have any connection to Ukraine.”

Videos posted to social media appear to show chaos inside Moscow's Crocus City Hall during and after a terrorist attack.

Some videos include what sound like gunshots and show men with rifles, as concertgoers frantically try to exit the venue.

State Department issues warning to Americans in Moscow

Jason Abbruzzese

The State Department said that the U.S. Embassy in Moscow is aware of the terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall and that U.S. citizens should avoid the area and follow the instructions of local authorities.

"The U.S. government’s ability to provide routine or emergency services to U.S. citizens in Russia is severely limited, particularly in areas far from the U.S. embassy in Moscow, due to Russian government limitations on travel for U.S. embassy personnel and staffing, and the ongoing suspension of operations, including consular services, at U.S. consulates in Russia," the State Department said in a message posted to its website .

'What a nightmare in Crocus,' Widow of opposition leader Alexei Navalny condolences about concert attack

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny who died in prison last month, expressed her condolences about the attack Friday.

"What a nightmare in Crocus," Navalnaya wrote on X. "Condolences to the families of the victims and quick recovery to the injured. Everyone involved in this crime must be found and held accountable."

320 firefighters, 3 helicopters working to put out fire

Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations said the number of rescue crews responding to the attack is growing and now includes more than 320 firefighters, 130 emergency vehicles and three helicopters dumping water on the burning concert venue.

Moscow regional governor says 40 dead, more than 100 injured

Moscow Regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov said on Telegram that at least 40 people are dead and more than 100 injured in the terrorist attack, confirming figures previously reported by Russian state news.

Putin informed about concert venue attack 'in the first minutes,' Kremlin spokesperson says

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin was informed about the shooting at the Crocus concert hall "in the first minutes" of the attack, Russian state news agency RIA reported.

The president is receiving information about what is happening and the measures being taken through all relevant services and is giving necessary instructions, Peskov said according to RIA.

Russian journalist was inside concert venue when gunmen entered

Russian news agency RIA Novosti said on Telegram that one of its reporters was inside the venue when gunmen entered and began shooting concertgoers.

The journalist said that at least three unmasked gunmen in camouflage entered the hall a few minutes before 8 p.m. Moscow time. They shot people point-blank and threw incendiary bombs, according to the journalist.

Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson calls incident 'bloody terrorist attack'

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia's foreign ministry, called the Friday night incident at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow a "bloody terrorist attack" as she called for "strong condemnation" from the international community.

"Now, as the Russian authorities have stated, all efforts are being devoted to saving people," Zakharova said. "The entire world community is obliged to condemn this monstrous crime!"

U.S. national security spokesperson says embassy has told Americans to avoid large gatherings in Moscow

Kyla Guilfoil

National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby addressed the attack in Moscow at a White House press briefing Friday afternoon, calling it a “terrible, terrible shooting attack.”

“The images are just horrible and just hard to watch and our thoughts obviously are going to be with the the victims,” Kirby said.

Kirby added that the U.S. embassy has notified all Americans in Moscow to avoid large gatherings, concerts, shopping malls, etc., and “stay put where they are” for their safety.

Russian media says 40 dead, more than 100 injured at concert attack

TASS, Russia's state-owned news agency, and RIA Novosti are reporting that Russia's FSB security agency has put the preliminary casualty count at 40 dead and more than 100 injured by a terrorist attack on a Moscow-area concert venue.

NBC News has not confirmed those casualty numbers.

Roof of concert venue at risk of collapse, Russian media says

Russian news agency RIA Novosti said on Telegram that the roof of the building near the concert venue's stage has begun to collapse.

Video posted to Telegram by RIA Novosti showed fire continue to blaze inside the venue.

Moscow area governor says more than 70 ambluances at scene of attack

Andrei Vorobyov, Moscow's regional governor, said on Telegram that more than 70 ambulances have been dispatched to the scene of concert venue attack.

“Everything is being done at the scene to save people," he wrote in the Telegram message. "The Special Rapid Response Unit (SOBR) has been deployed. There are over 70 ambulance carriages near Crocus, doctors provide the necessary assistance to all victims."

Nigel Chiwaya

Russia’s prosecutor general office says number of victims still being determined

Russia's prosecutor general said on Telegram that officials are working to determine how many people have been killed or hurt in the concert attack.

“On behalf of Igor Krasnov, the prosecutor of the Moscow region has gone to the scene of the incident at Crocus City Hall to coordinate the actions of law enforcement agencies," the prosecutor general's Telegram account posted. "Tonight, before the start of the event in the concert hall in Krasnogorsk, unknown men in camouflage clothes broke into the building and started shooting."

"The number of victims is being determined, a fire started in the entertainment center building, and citizens are being evacuated."

Moscow's mayor cancels weekend events

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that he was canceling all public events in Moscow this weekend.

"I have taken the decision to cancel all sports, cultural and other public events in Moscow this weekend," he said. "I ask of you to treat this measure with understanding."

Popular rock band was to play sold-out venue that can hold 9,500

Tim Stelloh

A popular rock band was scheduled to play what appeared to be a sold-out show at the Moscow concert hall where there were reports of gunmen in combat fatigues opening fire.

Picnic, formed in 1978, was to play at Crocus City Hall, west of central Moscow.

The multilevel facility in Krasnogorsk has a maximum capacity of 9,527 people. Booking sites show the event was sold out.

Russia's aviation agency says additional security added to Moscow airports

The Russian aviation agency Rosaviatsiya said that additional security measures are being introduced in Moscow airports

"Due to increased security measures, we ask passengers to arrive at Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky airports in advance," the agency said on the Telegram messaging app.

Moscow's emergency ministry says it is working to extinguish fire

Moscow’s emegency ministry said it was working to extinguish a fire that began at the music venue.

The ministry said about 100 people were evacuated from the building, and it was working to rescue people from the roof.

Russian media says state security taking action

Russia's news outlet RIA Novosti said that the country's security agency, the FSB, is taking measures to respond to the shooting at a concert hall near Moscow.

Videos posted by Russian media show men with rifles moving through area

Extended rounds of gunfire could be heard on multiple videos posted by Russian media and Telegram channels. One showed two men with rifles moving through a concert hall. Another one showed a man inside the auditorium, saying the assailants set it on fire, with incessant gunshots ringing out in the background.

Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the Moscow region, said he was heading to the area and set up a task force to deal with the damage. He didn’t immediately offer any further details.

Russian media reports said that riot police units were being sent to the area as people were being evacuated.

Russian news outlets report gunman opened fire at Moscow concert hall

Several gunmen in combat fatigues burst into a big concert hall in Moscow on Friday and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people, Russian media said.

Russian news reports said that the assailants also used explosives, causing a massive blaze at the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow. Video posted on social media showed huge plumes of black smoke rising over the building.

Russia’s state RIA Novosti news agency reported that at least three people in combat fatigues fired weapons. The state Tass news agency also reported the shooting.

U.S. warned of imminent Moscow attack by ‘extremists,’ urges citizens to avoid crowds

Patrick Smith

U.S. citizens in  Moscow  had been warned to avoid large gatherings earlier this month because of heightened fears of a terrorist attack.

The U.S. Embassy in the Russian capital said it was “monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours.”

U.S. citizens should avoid crowds, monitor local media for updates and “be aware of your surroundings,” it said in a brief  online update .

Read the full story here.

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Russia says 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility

Russia’s Federal Security Service says at least 60 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded in an attack at a Moscow concert hall. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Russia’s Federal Security Service says at least 40 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded in a mass shooting at a Moscow concert hall.

A Russian Rosguardia (National Guard) servicemen secures an area as a massive blaze seen over the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an apparent terror attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

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A massive blaze is seen over the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (Sergei Vedyashkin/Moscow News Agency via AP)

Medics transport a body of a victim a waiting ambulance near the burning building of the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an apparent terror attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (Sergei Vedyashkin/Moscow News Agency via AP)

Russian Rosguardia (National Guard) servicemen leave a bus near the burning building of the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an apparent terror attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (Sergei Vedyashkin/Moscow News Agency via AP)

A massive blaze is seen over the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landlside. (Sergei Vedyashkin/Moscow News Agency via AP)

Ambulances park near a burning building of the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

A massive blaze is seen over the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an apparent terror attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (Denis Voronin/Moscow News Agency via AP)

A massive blaze is seen over the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an apparent terror attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

Police block the road to the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an apparent terror attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

A massive blaze is seen over the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

Ambulances parked near the burning building of the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an apparent terror attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

A man speaks to journalists as a massive blaze seen over the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an apparent terror attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

Russian Rosguardia (National Guard) servicemen secure an area near the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an apparent terror attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (AP Photo/Vitaly Smolnikov)

A medic stands near ambulances parked outside the burning building of the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an apparent terror attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (AP Photo/Vitaly Smolnikov)

Russian Rosguardia (National Guard) servicemen walk toward the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an apparent terror attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (Sergei Vedyashkin/Moscow News Agency via AP)

Russian Rosguardia (National Guard) servicemen help a man to leave an area near the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an apparent terror attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (AP Photo/Vitaly Smolnikov)

Traffic on the highway is visible near the Crocus City Hall with a warning message on a billboard that reads “we mourn 03.22.2024" on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an apparent terror attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (AP Photo/Vitaly Smolnikov)

MOSCOW (AP) — Assailants burst into a large concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing over 60 people, injuring more than 100 and setting fire to the venue in a brazen attack just days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on power in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on affiliated channels on social media. A U.S. intelligence official told The Associated Press that U.S. intelligence agencies had learned the group’s branch in Afghanistan was planning an attack in Moscow and shared the information with Russian officials.

It wasn’t immediately clear what happened to the attackers after the raid, which state investigators were investigating as terrorism.

The attack, which left the concert hall in flames with a collapsing roof, was the deadliest in Russia in years and came as the country’s war in Ukraine dragged into a third year. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called the raid a “huge tragedy.”

The Kremlin said Putin was informed minutes after the assailants burst into Crocus City Hall, a large music venue on Moscow’s western edge that can accommodate 6,200 people.

The attack took place as crowds gathered for a performance by the Russian rock band Picnic. The Investigative Committee, the top state criminal investigation agency, reported early Saturday that more than 60 people were killed. Health authorities released a list of 145 injured — 115 of them hospitalized, including five children.

Some Russian news reports suggested more victims could have been trapped by the blaze that erupted after the assailants threw explosives.

Video showed the building on fire, with a huge cloud of smoke rising through the night sky. The street was lit up by the blinking blue lights of dozens of firetrucks, ambulances and other emergency vehicles, as fire helicopters buzzed overhead to dump water on the blaze that took hours to contain.

The prosecutor’s office said several men in combat fatigues entered the concert hall and fired on concertgoers.

Dave Primov, who was in the hall during the attack, described panic and chaos when the attack began.

“There were volleys of gunfire,” Primov told the AP. “We all got up and tried to move toward the aisles. People began to panic, started to run and collided with each other. Some fell down and others trampled on them.”

Videos posted by Russian media and on messaging app channels showed men toting assault rifles shooting screaming people at point-blank range. One video showed a man in the auditorium saying the assailants had set it on fire, as gunshots rang out incessantly.

Guards at the concert hall didn’t have guns, and some could have been killed at the start of the attack, Russian media reported. Some Russian news outlets suggested the assailants fled before special forces and riot police arrived. Reports said police patrols were looking for several vehicles the attackers could have used to escape.

In a statement posted by its Aamaq news agency, the Islamic State group said it attacked a large gathering of “Christians” in Krasnogorsk on Moscow’s outskirts, killing and wounding hundreds. It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the claim.

However, U.S. intelligence officials confirmed the claim by the Islamic State group’s branch based in Afghanistan that it was responsible for the Moscow attack, a U.S. official told the AP.

The official said U.S. intelligence agencies had gathered information in recent weeks that the IS branch was planning an attack in Moscow. He said U.S. officials privately shared the intelligence earlier this month with Russian officials. The official was briefed on the matter but was not authorized to publicly discuss the intelligence information and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Noting that the IS statement cast its claim as an attack targeting Christians, Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi, an expert on the terrorist group, said it appeared to reflect the group’s strategy of “striking wherever they can as part of a global ‘fight the infidels and apostates everywhere.’”

In October 2015, a bomb planted by IS downed a Russian passenger plane over Sinai, killing all 224 people on board, most of them Russian vacation-goers returning from Egypt. The group, which operates mainly in Syria and Iraq but also in Afghanistan and Africa, also has claimed several attacks in Russia’s volatile Caucasus and other regions in the past years. It recruited fighters from Russia and other parts of former Soviet Union.

On March 7, Russia’s top security agency said it thwarted an attack on a synagogue in Moscow by an Islamic State cell, killing several of its members in the Kaluga region near the Russian capital. A few days earlier, Russian authorities said six alleged IS members were killed in a shootout in Ingushetia in Russia’s Caucasus region.

On Friday, statements of outrage, shock and support for those affected by the concert call attack streamed in from around the world.

Some commentators on Russian social media questioned how authorities, who relentlessly surveil and pressure Kremlin critics, failed to identify the threat and prevent the attack.

Russian officials said security was tightened at Moscow’s airports, railway stations and the capital’s sprawling subway system. Moscow’s mayor canceled all mass gatherings, and theaters and museums shut for the weekend. Other Russian regions also tightened security.

The Kremlin didn’t immediately blame anyone for the attack, but some Russian lawmakers were quick to accuse Ukraine and called for ramping up strikes. Hours before the attack, the Russian military l aunched a sweeping barrage on Ukraine’s power system, crippling the country’s biggest hydroelectric plant and other energy facilities and leaving more than a million people without electricity.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, said that if Ukraine involvement was proven, all those involved “must be tracked down and killed without mercy, including officials of the state that committed such outrage.”

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, denied Ukraine involvement.

“Ukraine has never resorted to the use of terrorist methods,” he posted on X. “Everything in this war will be decided only on the battlefield.”

John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said he couldn’t yet speak about the details but “the images are just horrible. And just hard to watch.”

Friday’s attack followed a statement earlier this month by the U.S. Embassy in Moscow that urged Americans to avoid crowded places in view of “imminent” plans by extremists to target large gatherings in the Russian capital, including concerts. The warning was repeated by several other Western embassies.

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said Friday the U.S. government had information about a planned attack in Moscow, prompting the State Department advisory to Americans. The U.S. government shared the information with Russian authorities in accordance with its longstanding “duty to warn” policy, Watson said.

Putin, who extended his grip on Russia for another six years in this week’s presidential vote after a sweeping crackdown on dissent, denounced the Western warnings as an attempt to intimidate Russians. “All that resembles open blackmail and an attempt to frighten and destabilize our society,” he said earlier this week.

Russia was shaken by a series of deadly terror attacks in the early 2000s during the fighting with separatists in the Russian province of Chechnya.

In October 2002, Chechen militants took about 800 people hostage at a Moscow theater. Two days later, Russian special forces stormed the building and 129 hostages and 41 Chechen fighters died, most from effects of narcotic gas Russian forces use to subdue the attackers.

In September 2004, about 30 Chechen militants seized a school in Beslan in southern Russia taking hundreds of hostages. The siege ended in a bloodbath two days later and more than 330 people, about half of them children, were killed.

Associate Press writer Michael Balsamo in Washington contributed to this report.

This story was updated to correct that John Kirby is a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, not the White House national security adviser.