Archived material Access restricted Article
Rantburg

Today's Front Page   View All of Wed 10/23/2002 View Tue 10/22/2002 View Mon 10/21/2002 View Sun 10/20/2002 View Sat 10/19/2002 View Fri 10/18/2002 View Thu 10/17/2002
1
2002-10-23 
Men Take Moscow Audience Hostage
Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.
Posted by Fred Pruitt 2002-10-23 10:09 pm|| || Front Page|| [6 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 The Russians have their own way of dealing with situations like these.The 'nappers won't be coming out alive, that's for sure.
Posted by El Id  2002-10-23 14:51:57||   2002-10-23 14:51:57|| Front Page Top

#2 Yeah. But will the hostages?
Posted by Fred  2002-10-23 14:54:56||   2002-10-23 14:54:56|| Front Page Top

#3 So far, this is a hostage situation, not a general massacre. That's a sign that the civilians inside may actually have a chance to get out alive. Recently, hostages have not been an interesting option for Islamic terrorists.
Posted by Patrick Phillips 2002-10-23 15:02:10||   2002-10-23 15:02:10|| Front Page Top

#4 The whole situation is not likely to last too long. As soon as it becomes common knowledge that the kidnappers are Chechen suicide operatives, the pressure on the government to act will be extreme. I think the government will write off those inside (unless they include influential people), and attempt to storm the theater. Chechnya is going to get royally reamed after this one way or the other, though. Don't know what this'll do to their position on Iraq - self interest is strong, but so is habit. Hell, I was born in USSR, and the results of this are very much obscured. The situation, as they say, is fluid.
Posted by Tripartite 2002-10-23 16:03:25||   2002-10-23 16:03:25|| Front Page Top

#5 I'm just sorry there aren't enough Russians in the habit of carrying sidearms that the audience couldn't stage a counter-attack of their own. The Chechen bomb belts and mines are a big concern, but it doesn't sound like the Islamaniacs plan to let their remaining hostages leave alive anyway. I'd think Russians would rather go down fighting than to die like sheep. 700 people vs. 40 people aren't bad odds.
Posted by Aracona 2002-10-23 16:16:08||   2002-10-23 16:16:08|| Front Page Top

#6 Fred, I've been blogging on this since the news broke--glad to see you're on the case,too!
Please say a prayer or send some VERY positive thoughts that my good friend J.B. who *just* moved to Moscow to work at our Embassy is not in there, and for the innocent Russian hostages inside and for Putin and Russian SpetzNatz (Special Ops) that they will know what to do!
I think these IslamoFascist bastards are going to kill all these people...all 500-1,000 persons inside! But I hope I'm wrong!
Posted by Jennie Taliaferro  2002-10-23 16:16:34|| [www.greatestjeneration.com]  2002-10-23 16:16:34|| Front Page Top

#7 Fred, you spotted the hitch in the plan.I'm afraid that President Putin's first priority is to avoid the kind of humiliation that happened when Chechen terrorists took over that hospital in Southern Russia.I don't think they will let the hijackers get away this time.
Posted by El Id  2002-10-23 16:24:01||   2002-10-23 16:24:01|| Front Page Top

#8 Let them go? After taking hostages in Moscow? Not a chance. They're dead men (and women) walking - only question is how many innocents they'll take down with them.
Posted by Tripartite 2002-10-23 19:19:20||   2002-10-23 19:19:20|| Front Page Top

#9 .....coming soon to a theater near you.....

Anyone out there still not think we ( the global royal "we") are not at war right now?

Get out and vote this november like your life depends on it, because it probably does this time.
Posted by Frank Martin  2002-10-23 20:18:53|| [varifrank.blogspot.com]  2002-10-23 20:18:53|| Front Page Top

#10 This wouldn't be the first time that the Chechens have taken hundreds upon hundreds of hostages only to use them as human shields to get throught the incompentant Russian security soldiers and get back to Chechnya, although being in Moscow that would be one hell of a long trip.
Going on past instances of Chechen mass hostage taking, the people inside might have a chance to get through this alive, but I have a feeling that this might not end well if the Russians make a rescue attempt, which usually consists of kicking down the door and running in guns blazing.
Posted by Paul 2002-10-24 00:44:20||   2002-10-24 00:44:20|| Front Page Top

00:44 Paul
00:30 Tresho
23:58 PJ
20:52 Anonymous
20:47 DADDYO
20:33 Anonymous
20:18 Frank Martin
19:19 Tripartite
18:48 PJ
18:27 Frank G
16:50 andy
16:41 Anonymous
16:24 El Id
16:16 Jennie Taliaferro
16:16 Aracona
16:03 Tripartite
15:02 Patrick Phillips
14:54 Fred
14:53 Raj
14:51 El Id
14:37 John
12:49 Fred
12:31 Steve White
12:13 Hefty









Paypal:
Google
Search WWW Search rantburg.com