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Topic: Gunmen Take Theater Audience Hostage in Moscow
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Kindgo
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Moscow Theater Seige Ends--Update
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Weekend News Today
Lead: peteNcharlie
Source: Reuters
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Sat Oct 26,2002 -- Moscow Theater Siege Ends, 67 Hostages Die
By Elizabeth Piper
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Sixty-seven hostages were killed when Russian special forces stormed a Moscow theater at dawn on Saturday to end a three-day siege by Chechen rebels. Deputy Interior Minister Vladimir Vasilyev said 750 hostages held since Wednesday night by the heavily armed guerrillas in the capital had been saved in the operation. Nearly all the rebels, 34, were killed. "We saved more than 750 people...67 were lost," Vasilyev told reporters outside the theater. He added that no children were killed in the operation. Many of the survivors were suffering from gas poisoning, supporting reports security forces had pumped knock-out fumes into the theater before staging their morning attack.
Officials say that troops forced their way into the theater after rebels, some with explosives wrapped around them, executed two male hostages to press their demand that Russia pull its troops out of their separatist southern homeland. A woman hostage had also been shot dead earlier in the siege while trying to escape. The end of the drama, which brought the distant Chechen war to the heart of Moscow, will be a relief to President Vladimir Putin whose own position was being tested by the crisis. He called at one of Moscow's top hospitals to visit survivors for about 10 minutes before being whisked away in his motorcade. Officials gave no more details of the dead hostages but Australian and British diplomats said they had been told none of the estimated 75 foreign captives were among them.
GAS POISONING
A doctor from Moscow's main emergency hospital, Sklifosovsky, said he was treating 42 patients for gas poisoning. The guerrilla commander, Movsar Barayev, was among those killed in an assault that Russia's deputy interior minister said had prevented a massacre of those seized while watching a popular Russian musical on Wednesday evening. The theater-goers, enjoying a new Moscow craze for musicals and guzzling caviar and Russian champagne, had been watching "Nord-Ost" (North-East) -- about a Russian Arctic explorer. By Saturday morning, the plush theater seats were empty except for a few black-clad bodies of dead Chechen guerrillas. "We succeeded in preventing mass deaths and the collapse of the building which we had been threatened with," Vasilyev told reporters as ambulances took away survivors of the ordeal. In freezing rain, the hostages were ferried quickly out of the theater, many to hospital and away from waiting journalists.
The Muslim rebels, who had rigged up explosives throughout the building, had threatened to start killing their hostages early on Saturday if they did not see evidence their demands that Moscow's troops pull out of Chechnya were being met. Some relatives of hostages said they had been terrified when they knew troops would storm the theater to end the siege. "All the parents were of the same opinion that the storming would be absolutely unacceptable. It's like a mystery, like a miracle for us. We were amazed that this could happen like this, without (many) casualties," said the father of one girl who had been among the hostages, and who survived.
TEST FOR PUTIN
The guerrillas' daring raid had set Putin the toughest test of his two and a half years in the Kremlin. His startling rise to the presidency was largely based on his sending troops back into Chechnya in 1999 after a three-year absence, a popular move which earned him a reputation as a tough and effective leader. Humiliated by the audacious rebel attack, Putin went on national television on Friday evening to say he was open to talks with Chechen guerrillas, but under his terms. "We are open to any kind of contacts," a somber Putin said in his second set of televised comments since the attack. He insisted that past conditions stood, notably that separatists lay down their weapons. Moscow also rejects any idea of independence for Chechnya, which Russian troops first invaded to crush a separatist movement in December 1994.
Some analysts have said that the siege would almost certainly tarnish his position, if only for showing that the law-and-order regime he promised was not very effective if a band of heavily armed guerrillas could so easily take over a crowded building in the capital. But one bystander, Igor Konstantinov, in his 60s, was in no doubt about what he thought. "Putin has only one choice. (U.S. President George W.) Bush showed the world what to do with these bastards after September 11. It's Putin's turn to liquidate them in Russia." Putin links Russia's conflict in Chechnya to the U.S.-led global war on terrorism, which he enthusiastically backed after last year's September 11 attacks on the United States.
QUESTIONS OVER CHECHNYA
The siege and its closeness to the heart of Russia is certain to raise new questions over how the Kremlin should deal with the protracted secessionist war in the tiny North Caucasus region. Though Putin won over voters with his hardline approach, many question whether it is succeeding and point to a series of humiliations of the military by Chechen rebels in recent months. But one analyst, speaking before the siege was over, feared that what he had seen as glimmers of hope for a change in Kremlin policy to seek a political, rather than military solution, could have now been snuffed out for theater attack. Russian Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov was quoted by local news agencies as saying over 30 people "who tried to help the terrorists" had been detained in locations across Moscow. But he was also quoted as saying he had ordered his ministry to take measures to prevent any upsurge of anti-Chechen feelings in all parts of Russia. (Additional reporting by Larisa Sayenko)
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God bless,
Kindgo
Inside the will of God there is no failure. Outside the will of God there is no success.
Posts: 4320 | From: Sunny Florida | Registered: Jun 2002
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Kindgo
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Five released from Moscow theatre
Thursday, October 24, 2002 Posted: 8:35 AM EDT (1235 GMT)
Armed special police force officers outside the theatre
Five hostages have been released from the Moscow theatre where about 700 are being held hostage.
FACT BOX
A glance at Chechnya and its conflict:
GEOGRAPHY: Oil-rich region in northern Caucasus Mountains of southern Russia, 7,720 square miles, or about size of New Jersey. Moscow considers area vital to maintaining influence in Caucasus region.
POPULATION: Estimated 1.2 million people; several hundred thousand have fled region to escape fighting. Population mostly Muslim with strong religious beliefs. Clan-type groups with influential elders.
HISTORY WITH RUSSIA: Conquered by czarist armies in 1859 after decades of war, but Chechens never accepted Russian rule. During World War II, dictator Josef Stalin ordered Chechens deported en masse to Kazakhstan. Many died; rest returned home in 1950s, after Stalin's death.
CURRENT CONFLICT: Chechen President Dzhokhar Dudayev declared area's independence in 1991 and proclaimed one-man rule in 1993. Russian troops invaded to oust Dudayev in December 1994, setting off 13-month war that killed up to 30,000. In 1997, Russian soldiers killed Dudayev. Fighting resumed in 1999, after raids by Chechen rebels into neighboring region and bombings that killed some 300 at apartment buildings in Russian cities. Russian leaders blamed bombings on Chechens.
MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Five hostages, including a small girl, have been released from the Moscow theatre where armed Chechen militants are holding about 700 people hostage.
Russian officials said the release followed the start of talks with the Chechens, who are demanding an immediate end to the war in Chechnya.
The release of the five came late on Thursday morning, hours after a loud explosion was heard at the theatre, and around 18 hours after the siege began.
CNN's Ryan Chilcote, at the scene, said he could not tell if the explosion came from inside or outside the building, or if the blast was initiated by the police or the hostage-takers.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the hostage situation was "formulated abroad" by "the same criminals who have terrorised Chechnya for many years," according to Russia's Interfax news agency.
"The main goal of our law enforcement agencies and special services in planning measures is aimed at freeing the hostages with the maximum ensurance of their saftey," he said.
Putin has cancelled his planned trip to the APEC summit in Mexico next week, the Kremlin says.
Russian officials believe there are 40 hostage-takers -- including 30 men and a woman who were pre-placed in the audience, as others with rifles raided the theatre.
Valeri Gribakin, a spokesman for Moscow police, said there were as many as 50 hostage-takers, among them women of "non-Slavic" nationalities.
"They are demanding to resolve the situation in the Chechen Republic, specifically pulling out Russian troops," he said.
The hostage-takers have threatened to kill some of the hostages and have told police they have mined portions of the building -- The Palace of Culture of the Podshipnikov Zavod.
Police said the gunmen had identified themselves as members of the 29th Division of the Chechen army.
A pro-rebel Web site said the Russians had seven days to begin the withdrawal or the theatre and hostages would be blown up.
They have also asked for the Russian-installed head of the Chechen government to talk to them.
A short time after the blast was heard, German and Austrian embassy officials arrived at the scene, where they were told they could win the release of some 60 Western hostages.
But the Westerners were not immediately released, and the Chechens said the embassy officials had arrived too late.
The hostages include citizens of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Australia and Britain and two Americans.
The international Red Cross said it had launched talks with the guerrillas and was trying to secure the release at least of foreigners and children.
Anastasia Isyuk, an official of the International Committee of the Red Cross, told Reuters: "The negotiations with the rebels are under way at this very moment.
"Two Red Cross representatives have already entered the building with medicines and necessary equipment in case anyone among the hostages needs medical assistance.
"We hope we come to an agreement so that the rebels release children and remaining foreigners."
Hostages who have managed to telephone Russian radio stations on cell phones have said the gunmen have explosives, have mined parts of the building, and have threatening to kill 10 hostages for every hostage-taker wounded by police.
Witnesses said the group stormed the theatre at about 9:05 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Wednesday night, fired several shots into the air and refused to let anyone leave the theatre.
Chilcote said the authorities say 711 tickets were sold for the performance of "Nord-Ost" -- a popular Russian romantic-comedy -- and that the production contained about 100 actors and backstage staff.
He said of the 150 hostages thought to have been allowed to leave, 41 had been confirmed as freed or escaped, including a pregnant woman who was freed a few hours after the siege began.
"At the beginning of the second act, people in camouflage uniforms, they ran up on stage and they started firing from Kalashnikovs," said a woman who escaped from the theatre.
"I didn't hear any political demands. There was a Georgian woman. They let her go. She said there was a lot of blood.
"It didn't seem like they were shooting people, it seemed like they were beating people. She said there was a lot of blood in the corridors."
Girbakin said the hostage-takers released some children, citizens of Georgia, foreigners and Muslims during the early stage of the drama.
One official, Gennady Gutkov told NTV television that the security forces would not storm the hall unless the rebels began killing hostages:
He said: "Storming of the building will not be carried out at the initiative of the Russian side if the terrorists do not undertake actions to kill large numbers of hostages."
As dawn began to break over Moscow on Thursday the tense standoff continued. (Mood in Moscow)
During the morning, hostage-takers allowed fresh water into the theatre.
They also requested that a Russian TV crew be allowed to come inside to shoot video, officials said.
Russia's Federal Security Service, the elite "Alpha" teams -- the equivalent of the former KGB -- are at the scene.
Federal Security Service Director Nikolai Patrushev said: "There have been military preparations; the special troops of the federal department of the FSB (domestic security service) have been put on full alert as have the special forces of the ministry of Defense and the ministry of the Interior.
"We have erected a crisis centre which is headed by one of my deputies who is receiving all information, working through it and will take any concrete, necessary decisions."
The theatre was bathed in lights and surrounded by security forces as negotiations continued for the release of the remaining hostages. (Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has cancelled a planned visit to Germany and Portugal Thursday, has called a crisis meeting with senior security chiefs and Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov.
Ahmad Kadirov, head of the governing Chechen administration, called the incident a tragedy and said he was receiving calls from Chechens in Moscow who are scared about possible reprisals against them.
He said: "Those are terrorist bandits and I'm sure that one can't resolve problems by starting the war in another area.
"How could they get there? That's a question that interests me."
Russian forces left Chechnya in 1996 after a disastrous two-year war, but they returned in 1999 after rebels raided a neighbouring region. (Background)
The Russian authorities blamed rebels for a series of bombings in Russia that killed more than 300 people.
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God bless,
Kindgo
Inside the will of God there is no failure. Outside the will of God there is no success.
Posts: 4320 | From: Sunny Florida | Registered: Jun 2002
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Kindgo
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Hostages at Russian theatre.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,66515,00.html
Wednesday, October 23, 2002
MOSCOW — Armed men took a theater audience hostage in Moscow on Wednesday, the Federal Security Service said.
The Soviet Palace of Art was holding a performance of the musical Nord-Ost (North-East), one of the Russian capital's most popular productions.
The Interfax news agency said one of its reporters was inside the theater at the time of the raid, one of approximately 600 people attending the performance. She told them in a telephone call that the men fired automatic weapons into the air and were preventing the audience from leaving, the agency said.
Interfax said the gunmen had allowed all members of the audience to make phone calls and children to be released and that Muslim audience members were allowed to leave, according to Reuters.
Police units were on their way to the scene, as well as an Alpha special forces unit.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Edit to add- 600 - 700 people. Some children are being released.
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God bless,
Kindgo
Inside the will of God there is no failure. Outside the will of God there is no success.
Posts: 4320 | From: Sunny Florida | Registered: Jun 2002
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