200 Children and Teachers taken hostage in school

[Vanhalen 0]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3616868.stm

 

Attackers storm Russian school

 

Some of the children managed to flee the hostage-takers

At least 200 pupils and some parents and teachers are being held hostage in southern Russia after a school was seized by armed attackers.

Russian officials are quoted as saying that 17 armed men and women, some wearing explosive belts, seized the school in Beslan, North Ossetia.

 

They have threatened to blow up the building if it is stormed by police and troops, Interfax news agency reported.

 

It comes amid heightened security in Russia after several attacks.

 

A suspected suicide bomb attack in Moscow on Tuesday night killed at least 10, and 89 people died in the bombing of two passenger planes last week.

 

Wednesday was the first day back for millions of children across Russia and parents also attend for what is traditionally a day of celebration.

 

Negotiations

 

The BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Moscow said the armed group of men and women stormed a secondary school in the town.

 

At least 200 pupils were in the school at the time, along with some parents and teachers.

 

They are believed to have been moved by the hostage-takers to the school gym. Some children managed to escape in the process.

 

Interfax news agency quoted Ismel Shaov, a regional Russian security services spokesperson, as saying at least 17 armed men and women are involved.

 

President Putin's envoy in the area said a gunfight had broken out with police.

 

Security officials are at the scene trying to negotiate with hostage-takers.

 

The town of Beslan is 15kms (10 miles) north of Vladikavkaz, capital of the North Ossetia republic, which borders Chechnya.

 

Correspondents say it is not clear who the gunmen are or what they want, but suspicion will fall on Chechen rebels.

 

A female suicide bomber is being blamed for an explosion outside a train station in north Moscow on Tuesday, which killed at least 10 people and injured more than 50.

 

An Islamist group, calling itself the Islambouli Brigades, claimed responsibility and described the attack as "part of the wave of support and assistance to the Muslim Chechens".

[Guest croweater]

Lets pray this ends better than the theatre fiasco.

[Vanhalen 0]

Looks like a stalemate so far, but fuck me, that Russian army have some serious fuck off weapons.

[Highland 0]

Lets pray this ends better than the theatre fiasco.

I echo those sentiments exactly.

[Skywarp! 0]

What is this recent wave of Russian terrorism about? First the blown-up airplanes, now this?

[Vanhalen 0]

Dont forget the suicide bombing yesterday at the Subway, which killed 10 people

[Vanhalen 0]

Dont forget the suicide bombing yesterday at the Subway, which killed 10 people

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

What is this recent wave of Russian terrorism about? First the blown-up airplanes, now this?

My guess is that the Religion of Peace has its knickers in a twist about infidels...

[Vanhalen 0]

It looks like your classic "release our prisoners" demands

 

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1149674,00.html

 

HUNDREDS HELD HOSTAGE

 

Between 200 and 400 children, teachers and parents are being held hostage at a school in Russia and gunmen are threatening to blow up the building.

 

Russian news agencies said up to 30 suicide attackers carrying belts laden with explosives stormed the elementary school and herded the occupants into the gym.

 

The attackers say they will blow up the school if any attempt is made to storm the building.

 

It was initially thought there were 200 children being held. But Russian police said between 170 and 300 people are being held in total.

 

Some of the children have been placed in the school windows by the gunmen to stop Russian troops storming the building.

 

50 who hid from the gunmen have escaped from the school before the siege began.

 

The attack came on the first day back at school after the summer break when a large start-of-term celebration was being held.

 

The gunmen drove up to the school in an armed troop carrier and became involved in a shootout with police. Two people were killed.The school is in North Ossetia, southern Russia, in the area bordering Chechnya, where separatist Muslims are involved in an armed insurgency against Russia.

 

The group is demanding the release of jailed rebels in the neighbouring Ingushetia region.

 

"The hostage takers, who include men and women, are wearing martyrs' belts," said Ismael Chaov, a spokesman for the North Ossetian interior ministry told AFP.

 

But Chechen leader Aslan Maskhadov said his group was not involved in the attack.

 

"Whoever is behind this monstrous action, there is no justification for it," spokesman Akhmed Zakayev said in London.

 

Russia is reeling from a series of terror attacks in the last few days.

 

On Tuesday night a bomb attack killed 10 people and injured more than 50.

 

And last week's near-simultaneous crashes of two Russian airliners, which are being blamed on terrorist, killed 90 people.

 

Chechen rebels stormed a Moscow theatre in 2002, seizing hundreds of hostages, included women who were heavily wrapped with explosives. Dozens were killed in the rescue effort.

 

And in 1995, Chechen rebels seized a hospital in the southern Russian city of Budyonnovsk, taking some 2,000 people hostage.

 

The six-day standoff ended with a fierce Russian police assault. Some 100 people died in the incident.

[Highland 0]

Here's an update.

 

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Three people were killed as armed attackers seized a school in southern Russia and took at least 100 people hostage, Russian officials said.

 

Emergency officials told Russia's Interfax news agency that one attacker and two civilians were killed and nine people wounded in the Wednesday morning attack.

 

Interfax said there was shooting at the time of the attack as well as afterward.

 

There was an unconfirmed report that 14 children hid during the attack and were able to escape.

 

Interfax said the hostage-takers had threatened to kill 50 children for each of their number killed by Russian forces and 20 for each wounded.

 

Quoting emergency officials, Interfax reported that half of the hostages were children. The students in the primary school in the town of Beslan in North Ossetia range in age from seven to 17.

 

Interfax reported at least 100 people inside the school with the attackers; Russian state television, however, said the number was as high as 300.

 

The attack on the school took place at about 9 a.m. (1 a.m. ET) as children, parents and teachers were gathering for a ceremony marking the first day of school, Interfax reported.

 

There were at least 15 armed attackers, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said. Some were reportedly wearing explosives belts used in suicide bombings.

 

Interfax reported some confusion about demands from the attackers. One source said they were demanding the release of more than two dozen prisoners picked up during raid on Chechens in southern Russia in June.

 

Media reports indicated they had also demanded that Russia withdraw all of its forces from Chechnya.

 

The attackers also have reportedly passed on their cell phone numbers and a note with names of people they are prepared to hold talks with, including the leaders of the regions of Ossetia and Ingushetia as well as a doctor who was involved in negotiations with hostage-takers who seized a Moscow theater in 2002.

 

Interfax said the doctor was on his way to Beslan.

 

The attackers warned they would blow up the school if police tried to storm it, and they forced children to stand at the windows, Alexei Polyansky, a police spokesman for southern Russia, told The Associated Press.

 

Video of the scene from Russian television showed Russian forces stationed near the school, some of them behind a tank, as the sound of gunfire could be heard.

 

A young girl and an older woman ran into the camera's view and were led to safety by the armed forces.

 

Beslan is located 19 miles (30 km) north of Vladikavkaz in southern Russia, which borders the troubled Russian republic of Chechnya.

 

The seizure of the school comes a day after a female suicide bomber killed nine people and herself and wounded 51 others when she detonated a bomb outside a subway station in northeastern Moscow. (Full story)

 

Authorities did not immediately say if the female bomber was Chechen.

 

The bombing marked the second major terrorist attack on Russia in a week, following near-simultaneous attacks on two Russian airliners by what authorities believe were two Chechen women suicide bombers. Eighty-nine people died in the crashes on August 24. (Full story)

 

For the second time in a week, Russian President Vladimir Putin interrupted his working holiday in the Black Sea resort of Sochi and returned to Moscow.

 

In an interview with CNN sister network CNN Turk, Putin on Wednesday linked the country's recent terror attacks to Chechen rebels and al Qaeda.

 

"Two civilian planes were crashed by terrorist gangs that had links to the al Qaeda," Putin said from the Black Sea resort city of Sochi.

 

"Separatists in northern Caucasus are acting not in line with the Chechen people, but for their own filthy interests. They have links with international terrorism."

 

Authorities have said traces of the explosive hexogen were found in the wreckage of both planes.

 

Hexogen, when mixed with nitroglycerin, forms a plastic explosive similar to C4 and has been used by Chechen rebels in attacks on Russian soil in the past.

 

Chechen rebels -- who refused to take part in Chechen elections held Sunday and vowed to take their fight to Russian soil -- have denied responsibility.

 

But many Russian politicians are already linking them to Tuesday's suicide bombing, calling it revenge for the elections in which a Kremlin-backed candidate won the presidency.

 

Russian troops have battled separatist guerrillas in Chechnya since 1994.

 

Female Chechen suicide bombers are known in Russia as "black widows." (Full story)

 

In October 2002, about 50 Chechen rebels seized a Moscow theater and took about 800 hostages.

 

After a three-day siege, Russian forces stormed the building using gas, killing most of the rebels and 120 hostages. (Timeline of attacks)

 

Sajjan Gohel, Director of International Security at the Asia Pacific Foundation, told CNN that Wednesday's hostage-taking was a "major escalation" by militants.

 

"It seems that the militants are raising the stakes substantially. The Chechen militants' strategy is no longer just to engage Russian troops in Chechnya but to take it into Russia itself," he said.

 

"They have become very successful in that. They have been able to entrench themselves in Russia."

 

 

I'm all in favour of carpet bombing the Chechens.

[Styles 0]

Fucking inhuman. These terrorist pieces of scum are not even fucking human to kidnap and threaten to kill children. They're like horrible comic book villains who are just evil to the core and have no regard for human life and only objective is to rule the world.

Already 8 have been killed including a parent trying to save his child, but I pray it ends without anymore deaths (except for the death of every sick, twisted Islamo-facist Nazi Chechyn responsible for this)

[therealworldschampion 0]

Religion of peace my ass

 

Hopefully the pondscum responsible for this get a nice visit from the Cancer Fairy.

[Guest MikeSC]

Hell, I actually EMPATHIZED with them when the problem with Russia started (nearly a decade ago, if memory serves) --- but the Chechens have shown themselves to not be worth the effort.

-=Mike

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

I know all of these Islamic terrorists are fucked, but is there anything fundamentally wrong with the religion itself? I'm not trying to start anything, but the problem seems to be more about the way the government handles it rather then the religion. I'm not even trying to flame-bait or anything, it's a legitimate question.

[Guest MikeSC]

I know all of these Islamic terrorists are fucked, but is there anything fundamentally wrong with the religion itself? I'm not trying to start anything, but the problem seems to be more about the way the government handles it rather then the religion. I'm not even trying to flame-bait or anything, it's a legitimate question.

The problem seems to be that universal condemnation of terrorism seldom eminates from the centers of Islam.

 

Islam is DESPERATELY in need of a Martin Luther-like figure. No religion has EVER needed it more.

-=Mike

[therealworldschampion 0]

I spent the last semester in college studying Islam, and in one of the original writings of Mohammed, it calls for Muslims to convert non-believers and eliminate the "infidels" (non-believers that don't convert.) It seems that the extremeists take this passage way too far.

 

Believe me, I know some Muslims that are disgusted by Islamic fundamentalism, but threatening to kill children is just plain barbaric.

[NoCalMike 0]

I know all of these Islamic terrorists are fucked, but is there anything fundamentally wrong with the religion itself? I'm not trying to start anything, but the problem seems to be more about the way the government handles it rather then the religion. I'm not even trying to flame-bait or anything, it's a legitimate question.

The problem seems to be that universal condemnation of terrorism seldom eminates from the centers of Islam.

 

Islam is DESPERATELY in need of a Martin Luther-like figure. No religion has EVER needed it more.

-=Mike

I agree, Islam needs some MAJOR leaders/faces to come out and condem the terrorists and maybe talk to the world about how these people are the scum of the earth and do not represent the mainstream islamic opinion. However the best we get is a random professor from a university on a late-night talk show. That is one huge thing missing from this, there is no big major opposing voice within the Muslim population.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

That's because most, if not all, of the major Islamic figures subscribe to the radical Wahhabist sect.

 

Since Saudi Arabia has become the center of all things Islam, Islam has become more and more perverted. Coincidence?

[Highland 0]

Even if the vast majority of Muslims hate and oppose these terrorists, they probably don't want to become their next target either.

[Guest Olympic Slam]

Why aren't all these stories on the news around the clock? God forbid we interrupt Scott Peterson and the convention coverage.

[Guest MikeSC]

That's because most, if not all, of the major Islamic figures subscribe to the radical Wahhabist sect.

 

Since Saudi Arabia has become the center of all things Islam, Islam has become more and more perverted. Coincidence?

Nope.

 

And now you see why I refuse to refer to it as Saudi Arabia. They could do just fine WITHOUT the Saud family.

-=Mike

[NoCalMike 0]

Why aren't all these stories on the news around the clock? God forbid we interrupt Scott Peterson and the convention coverage.

you'd think it would hit one of the big three networks since they are pretty much no-selling the conventions. I mean what else is there going on?

[Highland 0]

Why aren't all these stories on the news around the clock? God forbid we interrupt Scott Peterson and the convention coverage.

You'll definately hear about it if/when they blow that school up. But other than that, the media doesn't consider it that big of a story.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

I have a feeling Russia's going to start doing more for the war on terror soon.

 

And then you might as well fuck the U.N. History shows anytime the US and Russia both want to get something done, it'll be done.

[Guest MikeSC]

I have a feeling Russia's going to start doing more for the war on terror soon.

 

And then you might as well fuck the U.N. History shows anytime the US and Russia both want to get something done, it'll be done.

The UN can rot in hell.

-=Mike

[Red Hot Thumbtack In The Eye 0]

Sadly, this is probably going to be Russia's "9/11". Granted it's of course not on the same scale, but it's going to be the rallying cry to crush kill and decimate.

 

I do completely hope that nobody has to die for this (nobody else that is), but I won't exactly be sad for the shits that would take children as their barganing chip when they get killed. Just hope it's a little more efficient than the last one.

 

Religion of peace my ass

 

Looks like realworldschampion has the religion portion covered, so I'm gonna leave that one alone.

[Sass 0]

This is the type of news that should be getting coverage on the major networks. Not the negative bi-partisan bull that continues to turn off potential voters from voting. This is the second time in two years that a major terrorist attack has happened in Russia. The last situation where these same terrorists were holding people hostage in a movie theatre was botched terribly, Waco style, and that got barely any mention on the news mediums when I was looking around for details on the situation at the time it happened. Hell, I couldn't even get an exact body count and still don't know how many people were killed in that debacle.

 

I feel so bad for the innocent families involved in this catastrophe.

[Guest MikeSC]

This is the type of news that should be getting coverage on the major networks. Not the negative bi-partisan bull that continues to turn off potential voters from voting. This is the second time in two years that a major terrorist attack has happened in Russia. The last situation where these same terrorists were holding people hostage in a movie theatre was botched terribly, Waco style, and that got barely any mention on the news mediums when I was looking around for details on the situation at the time it happened. Hell, I couldn't even get an exact body count and still don't know how many people were killed in that debacle.

 

I feel so bad for the innocent families involved in this catastrophe.

Only problem is trying to explain the whole Russian/Chechen problem, which is not the easiest thing to recap (also, our journalists tend to be lazy and we'd be better off if they DIDN'T try to recap).

 

It's a tragedy. And, though I haven't checked today, I doubt it'll end happily. These things seldom do.

-=Mike

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Tyler.. hasn't Saudi Arabia been the center is Islam since the beginning?

 

As for the House of Saud. Polygamy sure did make their family free large.

[tommytomlin 0]

Why aren't all these stories on the news around the clock? God forbid we interrupt Scott Peterson and the convention coverage.

Because you live in America.