Explosion, Gunfire Heard From Moscow Theater Where 600 Hostages Being Held by Chechen Rebels

abcnews.com ^ | October 25, 2002 | AP

[Destro]

October 25, 2002

Explosion, Gunfire Heard From Moscow Theater Where 600 Hostages Being Held by Chechen Rebels

The Associated Press

M O S C O W, Oct. 25 — Chechen rebels threatened to begin killing their 600 hostages in a Moscow theater at dawn Saturday, but later promised to free the captives if Russian President Vladimir Putin declared an end to the war in Chechnya and began withdrawing troops.

A few hours after the demands became known, an explosion and gunshots were heard from the theater early Saturday but an AP photographer with a view of the building's entrance saw no signs of a blast. There was no official comment, and earlier most journalists were moved away from the theater.

[Elenya]

If news reports are not mistaken then he's likewise a well known, late, and largely unlamented Chechen terrorist...

That's what was said before I went to bed. I just got here and will catch up with the rest of the thread now. :o)

[Brytani]

Of course there are peaceful Muslims, the problem is these same peaceful Muslims keep very quiet when it comes to condemning the radical groups in their religion. Instead of condemning acts of terrorism, they claim it's all a case of supposed racial profiling or bigotry they are afraid they will face. Few Clerics have come out against the jihad being launched at anyone not Christian.

What is going on in the world right now reminds me of the problems we have had in the US with violent crime in black areas. When a white condemned the violence and called on blacks in the communities to condemn these acts, to clean up their own neighbors, they were called racists. It wasn't until the people living in these areas became fed up with watching their children being butchered on the streets. When the grouped together and fought the drug dealers and gangs areas cleaned up, crime went down.

Until moderate Muslims and their religious leaders stop playing the blame game and begin to clean up their religion radical Islamics will be the biggest threat this world faces.

[Man of the Right]

A cluster f**k. 67 dead hostages.

[sneakypete]

Muslims are good at killing unarmed men, women and children but when faced with men ready to fight and kill in combat, face to face they fall away like chaffe.

it may feel good to say that,but it's not a good idea to believe it. Ask the families of all the Russian soldiers who have come back home in a box about this.

[sneakypete]

Many of the hostage takers were women. They have much less of a violent streak then men.

Say WHAT? Women are FAR more viscious than men. Look to history for proof of this. Hell,Kipling even wrote about it when he was in Afghanistan with the British soldiers in thhe 19th century,"...when you're lying wounded on the Afhghan plains,save a bullet to blow out your brains ,for when the women come out to cut up what remains..."

The US Calvary were also more than a little leery of being turned over to the women of the American Indian tribes,too.

[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

Subject
end of hostage crisis in Moscow
Author
"Sergei Roy"
Date
26.10.2002 17:03
16:44 MT

Bits and pieces.
Apart from the 36 terrorists killed in the assault, four more have been recently apprehended
-- two of them had been inside the building among the hostage takers, two outside --
accomplices.

One terrorists was caught outside the building when he escaped from the building, having
changed into the clothes of one of the hostages. He approached the NTV crew and tried to
contact his accomplices by phone but was identified and apprehended.

Doctors who have examined the bodies of dead terrorists are saying that there are
numerous syringe punctures on their bodies. Drug addicts, most of them.

Special force officers are saying that the hostages inside the building had given them
valuable information about the position of the terrorists in the building, which helped the
officers to liquidate them before they could blow up explosives charges, of which there
were about 30. According to the officers, the charges could have destroyed not only the
theater but also the neighboring buildings.

Apart from the explosives, found in the building were masses of small arms and even big
calibre machine-guns and suitable ammo, which indicates careful preparations for the
terrorist act.

Ralllies are being held in Chechnya in support of the actions of federal authorities, NTV
reports. At the same time President Putin gave strict instructions to Interior Minister
Gryzlov to take all measures to prevent outbreaks of anti-Chechen and anti-Caucasian
feeling.

The list of terrorists being apprehended is growing -- some are discovered among the
hostages taken to hospitals. Some 10 terrorists are said to have escaped for the time
being.

President Putin visited the Sklifosovsky emergency medical institute (popularly known as
Sklif) where some of the worst affected hostages are treated. Putin talked to a 15-year old
lad who only wanted to take a shower bath and brush his teeth, he said.

There was one Israeli woman among the hostages, whose nationality was kept a secret for
fear of being identified and killed by the terrorists. She appears to be safe and sound.
S.R.




Author
Date

end of hostage crisis in Moscow

Sergei Roy
26.10 17:03

[eniapmot]

political prisoner

He attempts to murder 700 people, and he is a ``political prisoner''?

Do you work for NPR?

[sneakypete]

Also, all mojahedeen seem to be wahabbi, and are promoting wahabbism - which is not the Islam as is historically practiced by Chechens.

Nor is it the type practiced in Iraq. It IS however the type of fundie Islam that is exported AND financed by Bubba-2's bestest buddies,the rulers of Saudi Arabia,though. Imagine that!

[eniapmot]

Hear, hear!

[BrooklynGOP]

I think Basayev was probably more honorable about women and children than these newer replacement scummers.

There is *nothing* honrable about Basaev.

[sneakypete]

Syringes...hope they were not using drugs on the hostages.

This is just a guess,but it is possible/likely that they were injecting themselves with "speed" to stay awake.

[sneakypete]

A cluster f**k. 67 dead hostages.

I'd call it a remarkable victory to have that few victims.

[sneakypete]

Do you work for NPR?

No,but are you so braindead that you don't think politics has anything to do with this,or that they won't be held as political prisoners?

[eniapmot]

..you so braindead..

I'll answer this the only correct way. Dumb or not, my belief is that a mass-murderer is a criminal.

By the way, the correct way to attack is to call me a fascist.

[csvset]

Considering the circumstances, I'd say that the Russians did well.

There are pics of the dead women terrorists that don't show any obvious signs of trauma,(e.g. gunshot wounds), unless the wounds are difficult to see due to their clothing, (black chadors).

From what it "looks like", the female terrorists died in their seats.

Any thoughts on how they died?

[sneakypete]

Dumb or not, my belief is that a mass-murderer is a criminal.

Who says they're not? Or is it that you somehow believe political prisoners can't be criminals?

[sneakypete]

From what it "looks like", the female terrorists died in their seats.

I know. I'm wondering if those were the positions they were found in,or if they were propped up for the photo. The pretty one laying on her back across the seats has obviously been "handled"/seached.

Any thoughts on how they died?

I'm not sure they are both dead. The "pretty" one seems to have some color other than gray to her face,and her eyes are closed. She could just be passed out from the gas used. At any rate,if either of them are dead,it is from gunshot wounds. The entry team didn't have time for anything else.

[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

I have no idea if this "Sebastian" is a reliable source, but I pulled this off the same moscow news forum on which the, so far. reliable "Sergei Roy" has reported.

.....Off course I am very releaved the crisis is over, and my heart goes out to everyone
involved.

The facts: This morning the russian government filled the theatre with a nerve gas or
substance to knock out everybody inside, instantly killing about 60 hostages and some
hostage takers. In the minutes following this attack, special forces killed the rest of the
hostage takers and freed the remaining hostages, of whom 75% are now hospitalized,
suffering from the effects of the attack, some in critical condition. The whereabouts of miss
Natasja Sjirov are still unknown, but Dimitri Sjirov, her 14 year old sun, is in hospital nr. 38.
Dutch TV is showing pictures of the search of mister Alex Sjirov for his wife and a doctor
explaining 350 patients are suffering from the effects of nerve gas. The number of
casualties among the hostages is 70 but rising.


Date

Nerve gas

Sebastian
26.10 21:16

[csvset]

Looking at the bombs they are displaying, is that plastic explosives? One bomb shown was pretty good sized, I'd say about the size of a small duffelbag.

[MarMema]

Talk about character, eh?

The Russian people are so amazing to me.

A little reported fact here but on Lenta.ru yesterday the following was reported -

1. The entire Ukrainian parliament offered to be taken as hostages to replace the 30-something Ukrainians in the theatre.

2.Not to be outdone the Russian duma shortly made the same offer, except they asked for each one of them to be exchanged for 10 hostages. (Lots more Russians in the theatre than Ukrainians).

3.The chechens living in Russia also offered to replace the hostages.

There were a few more offers but I cannot recall them right now. Lots of older family members begged to replace their younger relatives. The classmates of the children kept inside ( teens) were very involved in protesting as the terrorists demanded they do and in gathering others to help.