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.

[afraidfortherepublic]

I just think it is probably significant that the terrorists are wives of those killed by Russians...

What!?! Are you saying (without my reading this entire 600+ thread) that the terrorists are WOMEN????

[MarMema]

I think I said something similar a few posts ago.... thanks for confirming this. The Russians are not going to be making it ultimately, just as I had thought.

A long afternoon of prayer ahead of me.

[SerpentDove]

Yeah, thanks, BrooklynGOP!

[Shermy]

"Few outside the Bush administration believe Iraq has substantial links to al Qaeda."

One weakness of Stratfor is their susceptibility to propaganda talking points. Whether Iraq is linked to AQ or not is irrelevant.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

The Roman response would be decimation. The Peter the Great response would be cutting off their heads and putting them on poles around the city. The current response probably will be some combination of the two.

The US response would be to invite them over for a group hug.

[GovernmentShrinker]

In fairness, most of those people have never had access to even remotely accurate information about the U.S., and have neither the education nor the financial resources to seek out other sources of information. The clueless peasants don't deserve to be nuked, just for parroting the only line they've ever heard.

[mvonfr]

Georgians are not Muslim but are Rus Orthodox; they are blood cousins to the Chechens, however. I don't know about blood cousins, but the reason why they let the Georgians out, is because Georgia aids chechen terrorists (or at least Russia accuses them of this).

I don't think this ("Rus Orthodox") is true: Georgian church, while Eastern Orthodox, is not subordinate/related to Moscow, and is more ancient than Russian.

[MineralMan]

BTW, I speak Russian, and will translate into English, as long as I can.

[steveegg]

It's time to break out the time-honored and sadly-forgotten blue bar:

MineralMan

Disrupting things since September 26, 2002

[MarMema]

They let the Georgians out because they hate Russians and Georgia is not bombing chechnya. They wanted it to be personal not a general statement of terror.

[A. Pole]

the doctor has come

Full text in Russian is:

TERRORISM IS A DISEASE

THE DOCTOR HAS COME

Spetsnaz is warning:
Taking hostages is bad for your health!

[MarMema]

Georgian church, while Eastern Orthodox, is not subordinate/related to Moscow, and is more ancient than Russian.

That is correct, founded by St. Nina, equal to the Apostles.

[mvonfr]

One weakness of Stratfor is their susceptibility to propaganda talking points. Whether Iraq is linked to AQ or not is irrelevant.

Fully agree.

I'm already sorry for quoting Stratfor: all their weaknesses got blamed on me.

[Shermy]

Yep, not "Russian" Orthodox. Georgia supported the Chechens, for nationalistic reasons. But with the Second Chechen War, it became growingly religious and Wahhabist with the ulterior purpose of using the Chechens to disrupt and deter investment in petroleum production in the area - in the interest of Saudi and Iran.

Things changed after 9/11.

[swarthyguy]

Not for nuking the peasants.


Just Mecca, hell, give 'em 24 hours advance notice. All the jihadis will do their utmost to gather there anyway.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Maybe lots of the savages were eager to participate in the savagery.

[copycat]

I didn't see a sarcasm indicator, so I assume you're serious.

Atheists hate it when I say that, but you have to admit...Israel v. the world doesn't sound that far-fetched, does it?

[swarthyguy]

Just be happy you didn't post from debka.

[Skywalk]

Sheesh, a throwaway line on Laurie Dhue's update about the terrorists being Chechen.

Nothing about the Chechen situation, the apartment bombings years ago, export of jihad all over or that Muslims were allowed to leave.

Disgusting how the media essentially create public opinion and priorities.

[Smogger]

Negotiations have been going on for an hour:

It is renovated by 24.10.2002 into 02:00:43
Version for the press/printing

01:45:In the building the negotiations go, entire technology is removed from the adjacent streets

Negotiations with the terrorists, who took the building of theatrical center "northeast", they continue approximately hour, it reported RIA "Novosti"deputat of Gosduma gennadi Gudkov, who arrived in the place of events.

According to him, that attacked advance "unacceptable political requirements, in particular, the discussion deals with a cessation of hostilities in Chechne".The representatives of operational staff did not thus far comment the demand of terrorists.

As reported correspondent Lenty.Ru, which is located in building on Dubrovke, shots in the region of theatrical center it was not.On the streets in the militia encompassment, adjacent to the center, advanced on the perimeter in 500 meters from the center, were gathered several ten people, in essence the journalists and the relatives of hostages.Some previously agencies reported, that the light/world went out around the building, shots were audible.

Meanwhile according to the communication/report RIA of "news", from The dubrovskoy street is removed entire technology, including BTR, and also fire engines.evacuators GUVD removes everyone priparkovannye on the street Dubrovskaya automobiles.No one of the representatives pravookhranitel'nykh organs/controls explains these actions.Furthermore, as transmits the correspondent OF RIA of "news" from the place of event, on the perimeter of square around the theatrical center all representatives of primary structures are removed.

At present five brigades of the center of special medical aid are on duty in theatrical center.Furthermore, 20 additional brigades are in the state alert and can in any minute arrive in the place.

Television channel "Russia" reported the names of several children, freed from the building.Among them:

Milovidova Helen
Czernin Olga
Ivanov Anna
Nevstruyev Victor
Avday Philipp
Romanov Vyacheslav

The names others of those freed will be reported later.According to the data of television channel, all freed hostages thus far remain on the spot - home them thus far they do not release, they give the readings/indications to operatives.The health of children, tempered at liberty from the building of theater northeast, satisfactory, it reports the "echo of Moscow"