Men Hold Moscow Audience Hostage [Reports of 1000 Hostages]

AP News ^ | OCTOBER 23, 14:03 ET

[McGruff]

MOSCOW (AP) — Armed men entered a Moscow theater Wednesday and took the audience hostage, the Federal Security Service said.

The theater was holding a performance of the musical Nord-Ost, 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. She told them in a telephone call that the men had fired into the air and were preventing the audience from leaving, the agency said.

Police units were on their way to the scene.

[rintense]

FOX also reported this. Is the play political?

[laconic]

Yes, its translated into North-East. ITs about two young men growing up in Soviet times and the various adventures they get into. ITs supposed to be quite funny and very good.

[McGavin999]

I think you're right. I think they are going to wait until the "alpha" team tries to storm the theater and then blow it up. That way they get the audience and the cream of the Russian troops as well.

[BrooklynGOP]

More news.

Russian have armoured cars by the theater. A detail has emerged - terrorists have arrived in cars with moscow plates.

[mitchbert]

Is the play political

Not that I've read or heard. BBC Radio update should be any minute. URL on post 213 if you have REAL.

[cantfindagoodscreenname]

Christians can't do that.

In all seriousness, I wouldn't do that, either. I am a Christian. I was trying to be funny when I made that comment and hesitated a bit before hitting "post".

[steveegg]

Like I said, just snipets (Rush in one ear, Jeff Wagner in the other, FR in one eye, the Pres in the other). Short paraphrase; both parents and government need to do more to keep kids safe on the Net (ugh on the latter), kids shouldn't be revealing personal info to anyone. I'm sure the White House has the speech somewhere (and someone paid enough attention to post it around here someplace).

[Senator Pardek]

Nord-Ost: The Musical (google cache - main page is swamped)

[aristeides]

I take it no Moslems in the audience refused to leave.

[Chemist_Geek]

And don't think that they can't do it here or that they would have the slightest hesitation in doing it.

So what are they waiting for? If their end goal is the destruction of the American way of life, then why aren't they making regular, all-out attacks?

Are they still afraid of what we could do to them, once the sleeping giant is awoken?

[txjeep]

They said they want Russian troops out of Chechnya immediately.

[onedoug]

Prayers....

[knak]

MSNBC says: In an interview with The Echo of Moscow radio station, a boy who was freed also said the armed men were from the Caucasus region and that they demanded an end to Russia’s war against the largely Muslim region.

[Lucas1]

CNN - HUNDREDS of troops have arrived on the scene.

[William McKinley]

Chechney rebels (aka radical muslims) have taken 1000 hostages. They stormed a theater and took the playwatchers hostage. They let the women and muslims in the audience go. They then mined the building, and have been tying explosives to the hostages. There was a report of a pool of blood in the aisles.

[Naspino]

So you would rather those bodies be our bodies? I mean it is either us or them...they do not play by the rules. One way or another there are going to be thousands/millions of body bags. It will either be our bags or theirs.

No. But I'm not willing to go to the level of the Nazis. There is a difference in fighting a war and doing what they did. Take a look at this one to see what I mean.

An American soldier stands above the corpses of children that are to be buried in a mass grave dug by German civilians from the nearby town of Nordhausen. (April 14, 1945).

You cannot do what they did and still be human; whether in self defense or not. I guess that is where faith comes in.

[per loin]

Without gallows humor, one has only the gallows.

[SerpentDove]

>>I did manage to catch snipets of President Bush's speech regarding children and the Net. <<

W-T-F----???

ALL THIS GOING ON, AND HE'S TALKING ABOUT WHAT?!?!?!

Next thing you know, Tommy Thompson will be advising fast-food franchises on their menus.

I hope this is "strategery" because if not, it's plain infuriating IMHO.

[browardchad]

[So how did that work? 'Any muslims here before we get started?' 'Oh, me! Me!' 'OK, lessee ya prove it.']

There's a short Muslim credo that's taught from birth -- Muslims around the world would be able to say it in Arabic:

"Ilaha illa Allah. Muhammed rasul Allah." ("There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah")

The Christians executed in a relief agency in Pakistan last month were ID'd by the fact that they couldn't (or wouldn't) say it -- then they were shot in the head.

[Lucas1]

CNN - 18 children were released. Also some non-russians let go.