MosNews
In the aftermath of the hostage crisis that left nearly 400 people dead, most of them children, the first reports have emerged on the identity of the attackers who seized the school in Beslan, North Ossetia.
Officially, the General Prosecutor's Office has revealed that 31 attackers were killed, one was taken into custody, Gazeta.ru reported. 30 of the bodies have been discovered, one was destroyed by a blast. The attackers were made up of various nationalities, including Chechens, Kazakhs, Tartars, and Koreans.
Authorities, reluctant to shed light on the first results of their investigation, nonetheless, allowed Russian television to show footage on Sunday of an unshaven and heavily guarded man, described by a top prosecutor as a member of a Chechen rebel group which held more than 1,000 people hostage in a school last week. The man's name was not given as prosecutors cited "the interests of investigation".
State-controlled First Channel showed the man being escorted in handcuffs into a room by masked commandos. "This man directly took part in the attack, he is a member of the gang," said Deputy Prosecutor General Sergei Fridinsky. "Tomorrow the court will sanction his arrest and he will be charged."
The man, dressed in a dirty black shirt, looked and spoke very much like a native of one of Russia's North Caucasus regions, which include Chechnya and neighbouring North Ossetia, where the hostage crisis occurred. "I did not shoot. I swear by Allah I did not shoot," said the man, who looked scared. "I swear by Allah I want to live."
Russian officials initially said the 32-member group included Chechen separatists and 10 Arab fighters and that three of the hostage-takers had been captured alive. But later they said all the hostage-takers were killed and that three suspected accomplices had been detained.
Shortly after the standoff reached its bloody finale Friday, at least two Russian officials said that several of the hostage takers were Arabs — nine of them, according to an adviser to President Vladimir Putin, or 10, according to the head of the Federal Security Service in North Ossetia, the republic where the attack took place. However, authorities have not publicly presented evidence supporting those claims.
Aslanbek Aslakhanov, an adviser to Putin on Chechnya, called the makeup of the group of hostage takers "fully international." Valery Andreyev, the North Ossetia security chief, said one of the hostage- takers was black. First Channel, without citing a source, said that the hostage-takers included Chechens, Ingush, Arabs, Kazakhs and Slavs. Earlier Russian media reports had said authorities believed the hostage-takers included Chechens, Ingush and a man from North Ossetia.
Details began to emerge on Monday as regards the identity of the attackers. Kommersant Daily reported that one of the leaders of the rebel group was identified as *Vladimir Khodov, known also as Abdulla. Three other attackers, Magas, Fantomas and Polkovnik (Colonel) were identified by their accomplice, who was detained alive and agreed to help investigators. The man, identified as *Magas, proved to be none other than Magomed Yevloyev, an ethnic Ingushetian from Grozny, who together with Shamil Basayev, masterminded a raid on Ingushetia in June this year.
The names of several other attackers became known on Monday. The Gazeta daily wrote, citing sources, that at least four of them were natives of the village of Stary Engenoi, Nozhai-Yurt, Chechnya. 24- year-old *Nur-Pashi Kulayev, detained alive after the Friday shootout, had been one of Shamil Basyaev's bodyguards. His brother, 31-year-old Khan-Pashi, was killed on 3 September.
Doku Umarov headed the gang, according to the Izvestia newspaper. A teenager, who managed to escape from the school building before it was raided by the rebels, recognized him on a photo of Chechen rebel leaders, shown to him by the paper's correspondent. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------- (commentary from chechen here - FYI *This Vladimir Khodov was put on the wanted list by the Russia's MVD for being a suspect to the car's explosion on Feb 3, 2004 in Vladikavkaz, that took place near the Gamid-Bank ( we've got posts on this in our archives). Two people died, several more were wounded. This crime was never solved and two versions emerged - 1. criminal feud (razborka) or 2. terrorist act. The first version was investigated because the bank was known to be involved in mafia wars, ( there were more attacks on it and its employees already before,iteresting that in 96, its owner Gamidov was blown up with his body guards on the stairways of the Financial Ministry of Dagestan). the second one because the explosion took place when a truck was passing by with some military school cadets - some of them got wounded - and one passed away from wounds later. Anyway, the MVD of Russia has this http://www.mvdinform.ru/index.php? newsid=2417 with info on Khodov and a photo depicting his face. Judging by his first and last name, patronymic and that photo of him it could be assumed that he's a Russian - that's what Fridinsky was talking about, mentioning Slavs, or Russians to be among the terrorists, in one of his reports. ** This is still not 100 % confirmed if Magas - that's Magomed Yevloyev or according to Ingushetiya ru, a certain Taziyev ***That makes sense - Ingushetiya could have got his last name wrong - no Kulev here, and first and last name sound Chechen in Gazeta's article. M.L.(end of commentary)
In the course of interrogation of the terrorist that was seized by the spetsnaz became known some names of several fighters, who participated in the seizure of school in Beslan reports on Monday Gzt.Ru.
At least four of them are the natives of settlement Staryi Engenot of Nozhay-Yurto district of Chechnya. Among them - just one who is alive, 24-yrs oldr of Nur- Pashi Kulayev. Previously the correspondents of the independent portal Ingushetiya.Ru identified him as Kulov.
In this group of fighters was also older brother of Kulayev, 31 yrs old Khan-Pashi, killed on 3 September. Two more terrorists, the residents of Staryi Engenoy, are identified as Arsen Merzhoyev and Mayrbek Shibikhanov.
According tothis article, the Kulayevs used to be in pernal guard of well-known leader of the Chechen fighters Shamil Basayev. Furthermore, the Kulayevs were tightly linked with that arrested last year Rustam Ganiyev, who was preparing smertnitsas for their participation in the acts of terror on the territory of Russia. Two sisters of Ganiyev were destroyed in the theatrical center Nord-Ost at Dubrovka.
Let us recall also that one of the first liquidated terrorists that was identified, was a soldier of Ruslan Gelaev's unit, Anatoliy Khodov nicknamed Abdulla, who was tied to a criminal case about the explosion on 3 February, 2004 in Vladikavkaz. Furthermore, he was one of the figures of criminal case for explosionon on the train No 32 - Moskva-Vladikavkaz, committed on the 15th of May of 2004.
At the same time the newspaper refuted this information about destruction Magomed Yevloyev, who is considered the leader of bandits. Yevloyev's body so far hasn't been found.
According to spme data of Vremya Novosti newspaper among the killed fighters someone is also identified certain Magomed Aushev and certain Umarov. However, this is not the well-known field commander Dokku Umarov, who, according to one theory of special services, organized the attack on the school in Beslan.
According to the sources in siloviki structures of North Ossetia, body of seven fighters are not identifiable. In their number the one smertnitsa, who had blown herself up with her shakhid belt..
Before I went to bed earlier I was watching, coincidentally, the interview with Dokku Umarov on kavkaz. link I can only follow the Russian piecemeal, so if anyone wants to help out by listening/watching and letting me know if there is anthing significant, please do.