Men Hold Moscow Audience Hostage [Reports of 1000 Hostages]

AP News ^ | OCTOBER 23, 14:03 ET

[Eala]

Male muslims are circumcised. In some countries, that identifies them.

Given that a few false positives aren't a problem for an operation like this, I suspect knowing Arabic (even poorly) and being able to quote from the Koran in Arabic would be a very quick way to discern who is and who isn't Muslim.

[txhurl]

According to Izvestiya newspaper, the 20 or so gunmen, some of whom are armed with automatic weapons, had allowed all members of the audience to make phone calls, and children and Muslim audience members were allowed to leave.

No, not looking good at all.

[My Favorite Headache]

Bump

[Wordsmith]

"Thunderstorm." Wonder if the Russians are planning a quick hit raid to try to get these guys before they're set. Don't think they'll let this deteriorate in to a long hostage standoff. Seems likely we'll see a lot of dead Russian military and police by the end of this as well.

[js1138]

Obvious thing is to replace those let go with 700 muslim children. Not thinkable in U.S.A. but this isn't happening in America.

[kaylar]

It's as if the terrorists are egging on the countries who don't want to go along with the U.S. and begging them to change their minds.

The things don't know how free people think. They think that they can terrify other countries into staying on the sidelines by preemptive strikes against those countries (France, Australia, Russia). It would have been better for them had they made a point of attacking ONLY American interests and citizens, rather than those of prospective or actual US allies. That MIGHT have fooled nonAmericans into believing that they could 'sit this one out' as only Americans (and Israelis of course) were in danger. The things simply do not understand how people in free or mostly free countries think and react. They mean to cow and terrify, and succeed in infuriating. This is true of Australia, it will be true of Russia, and France may be able to pass the first attack off as a "mistake" on the terrorist's part, but another attack will make that impossible. More and more of the west is beginning to recognize that the things are sincere when they state that their "religion" requires them to extend islam globally by all means (violent and nonviolent) and that their goal is a global caliphate under islam and shariya, NOT "simply" the destruction of Israel,as many once tried to believe.

[steveegg]

I'll take a squadron of SS-18 Mod 4s (the ones that would otherwise head to Mt. Cheyenne). I wonder how long Saddam's bunkers would last with DU penetrators leading 25-megaton warheads plowing into them.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Seizure took place during play "East-West". Here is a news feed logo of the developing situation in Moscva. Russian sez' I believe "Nov-Oct". I could be wrong.

[SerpentDove]

bttt

[BrooklynGOP]

More breaking news. According to rtr-vesti.ru, several people from inside the theater made calls to the police saying that chechnes are in the process of mining the building!

[mikhailovich]

I saw Alpha storm a Korean tour bus taken by terrorists in Moscow. What basically happened was two armored Alpha vehicles drove up on either side of the bus, soldiers broke out all the windows of the bus with the butts of their machine guns, climbed through the windows, and killed all the terrorists. Did you happen to see footage on TV? Impressive stuff. Unfortunately, AQ plans for counterattacks about as good as anyone.

[txhurl]

Sad Beamer bump....

[BrooklynGOP]

I saw that one. I think russians are more liberal when it comes to collateral damage, though.

[finnman69]

This is what Debka has up............


Fifteen Armed Men and Women Seize Local Hall in
Moscow Wednesday Night, Take Hostage
Hundreds of Spectators Watching Musical
Muslims and Children Allowed to Go
Armed Group Believed Chechens
According to One Report Women Have Bomb Belts
Russian Anti-Terror Force Surrounds Hall

[AmericanInTokyo]

Sorry for the lousy formatting, and bad English, but we are putting up info. as fast as possible!

From a Russian site, that looks like "Rosieynestkoncajtii"

Text: "In the hall of the former palace of the culture of ball bearing plant on Melnikov's street, 7 in Moscow, where was passed the idea of myuzikla "northeast", recently penetrated the group of the armed people in the camouflage. The unknown persons, with the number approximately twenty, opened fire/light from the automata into air and took in hostages of approximately 700 spectators.At the present moment/torque, according to the existing/available information, the terrorists let out from the auditorium of approximately twenty children and the Moslems.Known of Aleksey Ivashchenko's grains and 4 additional actors knew how to be pulled out from the seized building and at the present moment/torque they converse with the colleagues of militia and FSB. Aggressors gave the possibility to notify relatives and close ones to hostages, after permitting using mobile telephones for this.According to the evidence of those rung (in particular, the correspondent of the agency Of "interfaks", which it is located in the hall) terrorists have an appearance of descendants from the Caucasus and talk not in the Russian language.The producer of myuzikla Aleksandr Tsekalo in the interview UNIT VECTOR stated that sozvanivalsya with the people, which are located inside, and heard the non-Russian speech of terrorists. In the place of extraordinary accident in Moscow urgently they left the chief OF GUVD, urban attorney, mayor Yuri Luzhkov.The assistant of the leader of the apparatus of government Aleksey Volin reported that Vladimir Putin and Mikhail Cassian were notified about that occurred.the Press- secretary of the President Aleksey Gromov also confirms that fishings he has complete information about the seizure Motion on ul.Melnikov it is overlapped.Now is there tightened a large quantity of machines of "first aid/ambulance" and firemen.Entire region is surrounded by militia, in the city is introduced the plan/layout "thunderstorm".The area before DK is practically purified of the idlers, who thus far literally dammed everything all around, all strangers were brought out for the enclosure/protection. On the story of Afanas'eva released from the hall of the adolescent of Denis, in the beginning of the second department to the scene left the armed person, who made one shot into air of the automaton.Teroristy drove off actors from the scene, reported that the target/purpose of their action is the "curtailment of war in Chechne" and they assured, that no one will suffer.Then it was said, that the hall will be mined during 10 minutes, and all spectators became hostages. During the idea in the hall was produced the survey and, probably, soon these frames/personnel will become accessible. Even before the appearance of the first information communications/reports about the seizure of hostages on the site of chechenskikh hits appeared information about this action.There, in particular, it communicated that the terrorists were bound by explosive.On the version of the correspondents OF VVS, the seizure is organized by the nephew of the killed chechenskogo terrorist Of arbi Of barayeva By movsarom Barayevym. On the actions of terrorists it is possible to assume that the seized building DK by them is well familiar and terakt is thoroughly planned.Comes the contradictory information from eyewitnesses, according to which the group of malefactors did drive up to the palace first on the bus, then whether in several automobiles. Officially terrorists thus far advanced no requirements, negotiations with them yet are not conducted.The representatives of pravookhranitel'nykh organs/controls commentaries do not give.In this case the signs/criteria of preparation for the assault of building it is not thus far noted."

[MTCJK]

The things don't know how free people think. They think that they can terrify other countries into staying on the sidelines by preemptive strikes against those countries (France, Australia, Russia). It would have been better for them had they made a point of attacking ONLY American interests and citizens

I agree: these ME terrorists are either stupid or know something we don't--like weapons of MD in wait, once they have us and our world allies completely poised to strike

[WRhine]

This is NOT going to end until all these creeps are totally exterminated. They can't be rehabilitated, they have to be destroyed. They are defective humanbeings, damaged beyond repair.

I have to agree. Muslims have proven over and over again since the inception of their Barbaric Cult some 1,000 years ago to be totally incapable of peacefully co-existing with the rest of the Non-Muslim world. In this age of WMD they are a SERIOUS THREAT to the survival of Mankind. Continued appeasement of this group will only guarantee more mass bloodshed and strife around the world. They have to be shut down.

[AmericanInTokyo]

spasibo

[Angelus Errare]

The gunmen (suicide bombers?) could probably ask the Muslim members to recite the Islamic confession of faith in Arabic. While there are Muslims who don't speak Arabic, the Chechens are Wahhabi Muslims, so all Muslim hostages who couldn't recite the confession of faith in Arabic wouldn't be "true Muslims" by their standards.

Also, one of the main bankrollers of the Chechen rebels is Global Relief, and Barayev is one of bin Laden's lieutenants in the Chechen campaign (I think the Russians killed Khattab, one of his other lieutenants, earlier this year).

So if these are Barayev's men inside, these guys are almost certainly al-Qaeda.

[Alberta's Child]

If this is true, then the situation might end very quickly -- it is in the best interests of the Russians to get in there very quickly before all the explosives have been put in place.

If this ends badly, I would not want to be a Chechen if this ends up in a disaster. Based on previous interaction between the two nations, I would expect the Russians to offer the U.S. full support of any U.N. resolution on Iraq in exchange for a free hand (and U.S. assistance) to carry out something catastrophic in Chechnya.