1,500 Held in Russian School, Freed Hostage Tells Izvestiya

[cal04]

Terrorists are holding about 1,500 hostages in a school in the southern Russian town of Beslan, rather than more than 300 officially reported, an unidentified women released yesterday told Izvestiya daily. The woman, together with her three-year-old daughter, was released when the terrorists freed 26 hostages, women and small children, the paper said.

The hostages are being held in the school's gymnasium, where the terrorists have planted bombs, the woman said, according to the newspaper. The siege is the fourth terrorist incident in Russia since 89 people died in two passenger plane crashes on Aug. 24 and a bomb explosion near a Moscow subway station Monday killed 10 people. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the incidents were ``attacks on Russia as a whole.''

http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=agsrUu3o3WSA&refer=home

[Nambe]

1. Big mistake by the kidnappers.

This won't go away.

[Vladimir]

2. Its worse for Putin

4 major attacks in a week culminating in this... he looks completely incompetent. Which he is, but normally he can do a strongman routine to cover it up, and this school thing is testing his diplomatic skills - which he lacks.

[allemand]

3. BBC World: Sustained gunfire outside school

Oh my god. You can hear it in the background.