Hero schoolboy cloakroom workers who ran towards gunfire and saved dozens during ISIS Moscow concert hall attack are given bravery medals and laptops... and rapper promises a million roubles is on its way

Two teenage cloakroom attendants who saved dozens of people during the Moscow concert massacre received top awards yesterday, as they were honoured by their school and country.

Islam Khalilov, 15, and Artem Donskov, 14 - both students at the same school who worked at the Crocus City Hall - were presented with laptops and bravery medals. 

The students assisted dozens fleeing the concert venue after gunmen opened fire in the packed venue on Friday night, in an attack that killed more than 130 people and has since been claimed by the Islamic State group.

Footage shows Islam, who was working in his part-time job as a cloakroom attendant, bravely running towards danger and directing dozens of panicked people fleeing gunshots towards exits.

'To tell the truth, I was very scared,' he told Russian radio, saying he made sure no one was left behind before fleeing the scene himself.

Islam Khalilov and Artem Donskov - both 15 and students at the same school who worked at the Crocus City Hall - were presented with laptops as awards

'We were shown and told where to send people in case of an incident. I knew where to take them to safety,' he added.

The courageous boy remained calm - despite seeing a man get shot right in front of him - and guided terrified people fleeing from the gunmen to the emergency exits, saving dozens of lives.

Artem escorted another group seeking a way out from the burning building.

The pair were handed laptops and certificates by their school, while Russia's commissioner for children's rights gave them bravery medals.

'They modestly say they did what they had to do,' Maria Lvova-Belova said 

Islam is due to receive an award this week from the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims in Russia, a major religious organization, the state-run TASS news agency reported. Rapper Morgenshtern said he would send the young hero a million roubles (£8,500, $11,000).

Islam's heroics were seen around the world in the aftermath of the attack as he filmed himself directing survivors to safety.

Artem's mother said yesterday she has ordered her son not to get his phone out and film in an emergency so his deeds initially went unheralded.

Speaking yesterday, the 14-year-old hero said: 'Everyone started screaming and running towards the service area - and everyone found themselves in a dead end. 

'The guys and I saw this and decided to take everything into our own hands, we turned the people around and led them in the right direction. 

'Just there an emergency exit was opened, and everyone went out through it. My colleagues and I tried to make sure that all the people got out, evacuated, and that we didn’t leave anyone behind. 

'As a result we were the very last to leave.'

The Islamic State group has said several times since the attack on Friday that it was responsible, and IS-affiliated media channels have published videos of the gunmen inside the venue shooting concert-goers.

The Kremlin has however not commented on the claims and Russian leader Vladimir Putin instead has linked the attackers to Ukraine.

Another man, who was at the scene of the attack with his wife to attend a rock concert scheduled that evening, disarmed one of the assailants, witnesses and media reports said.

The man, who requested anonymity, told Russian media he had attacked one of the gunmen as he was reloading.

A security guard separately told the Russian newspaper Izvestia that he and other men had blocked a door in a corridor that was being shot at, allowing another group of people caught up in the attack to leave.

Russian state TV editor Margarita Simonyan said earlier today the death toll had climbed to 143, but did not give the source of her information. 

The courageous schoolboys were hailed as heroes as they were honoured by their school (Pictured: 15-year-old Islam Khalilov)

Heroic Student Artem escorted a group seeking a way out from the burning building duirng the Moscow concert massacre

Artem was interviewed by press after receiving an award at his school to mark his heroic efforts

As terrorists started shooting concert-goers on Friday, 15-year-old Islam Khalilov (pictured) was working in his part-time job as a cloakroom attendant at the Crocus City Hall venue in Moscow

Footage from the concert venue showed panicked attendees running for their lives in the foyer of the Crocus City Hall

Hundreds of people gathered at the concert hall today to pay their respects and lay down flowers as Russia declared a national day of mourning

The condition of 44 survivors - including two children - is described as 'serious', while that of 16 other victims, including one child, is 'extremely serious'. 

The British Embassy in Moscow and consulate in Yekaterinburg lowered their flags 'to mourn with the Russian people the victims of the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall'.

New footage also emerged of people making barricades from cafe chairs as they sought to avoid being gunned down by the brutal killers.

Separately, a new video also appeared of Russian troops kicking and beating a terrorist suspect when he was detained in Bryansk region.

Schoolboy Islam was seen is separate footage, which showed him guiding the fleeing crowd out via an emergency stairway.

'That way, that way, that way,' he shouts. 'Everybody go that way. Everybody over there. To the Expo, to the Expo….'

Islam said: 'At first we heard some strange sounds on the first floor. We thought maybe some noisy group had come.'

Then he saw people start running in terror. He saw a man being shot in front of him - and knew he had to escape, and help others.

He said: 'I understood that if I didn't react, I would lose my life and the lives of many people,' he said. 'Honestly, it was very scary.'

He shouted and signalled to the frightened and panic-struck people to follow him.

'When I was in the crowd of people, walking to the door to open it, I thought [the gunmen] might come out of the stairs or from the escalator, and throw a grenade or open lethal fire.

'Thank God, nothing happened. I managed to open the door in time and let everyone out towards the Expo.'

The teenage saviour led more than 100 people to the [Crocus] Expo entrance in an adjacent building.

Islam (pictured) said: 'That all this happened before my eyes. To be honest, I'm still in a state of shock. A man was shot right in front of me, I can't stop thinking about it'

Panic broke out in the foyer of the Crocus City Hall in Moscow as the shooting started on Friday

Russian media share pictures of four suspected terrorists, in the Crocus concert hall massacre in Moscow, giving their names as (clockwise from the left) Makhmadrasul Nasridinov, 27, Rivozhidin Ismonov, 51, Shokhindzhonn Safolzoda, 21, Rustam Nazarov, 29

Fire rises above the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue after gunmen stormed the building and set parts of it on fire

Schoolboy Islam was seen is separate footage, which showed him guiding the fleeing crowd out via an emergency stairway. 'That way, that way, that way,' he shouts. 'Everybody go that way. Everybody over there. To the Expo, to the Expo….'

Image of the suspected gunmen who opened fire at Crocus City Hall, in Krasnogorsk, Moscow

A woman lights a candle at a makeshift memorial to the victims of a shooting attack set up outside the Crocus City Hall concert venue in the Moscow Region, Russia, March 24

A keen footballer, Islam himself walked last to make sure no one was left behind.

He explained: 'We were shown and told where to send people if something happened. I knew where to take people to keep them safe.'

He revealed his mother was in shock over the horror and cried because of what her son had to go through.

Islam added: 'That all this happened before my eyes. To be honest, I'm still in a state of shock. A man was shot right in front of me, I can't stop thinking about it.'

The schoolboy, a Muslim, is expected to be honoured by Russian law enforcement.

The spiritual leader of Russian Muslims, Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin, is separately presenting a medal to him.

An offshoot of ISIS is seen by many as being behind the attack in which a total of 285 people, including eight children, were victims.