Friday, 25 October, 2002

Hundreds of theatre goers remain trapped in the auditorium

Gunmen break into a Moscow theatre and hold hundreds of people hostage. BBC News Interactive provides coverage of how events unfolded.

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday 25 October -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Russian soldiers gather outside the Moscow theatre

 

The hostage takers reportedly

threaten to start executing

their captives if its demand

for a Russian withdrawal

from the breakaway republic

of Chechnya is not met,

and ask to talk to a

goverment mediator.

Russian soldiers gather

outside the Moscow theatre

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday 24 October -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Distraught relatives arrive at the scene

Relatives of the hostages

gather outside the theatre

pleading with the authori

ties to step up measures

to release their loved ones.

Three females try to escape,

one of whom is killed.

Distraught relatives

arrive at the scene

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday 23 October -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Armed police surround the Moscow theatre

Masked gunmen, with explosives

strapped to their bodies, storm

the auditorium and demand the

withdrawal of Russian troops

 

from Chechnya in exchange

for the release of their captives.