What happened to the victims of the largest terrorist attack in Russian history during the two days they were held hostage?
After the rapid seizure of School No. 1 in the southern Russian city of Beslan by terrorists in September 2004, difficult days began for the entire country. While the hostages suffered from a lack of water and food in the constant fear that their lives could end at any moment, the entire country held its breath in anticipation of what decisive steps the authorities would take to save the children.
This feature is the second part of the Beslan trilogy, in which RT tells the detailed story of the crime that shocked Russia and the world 20 years ago. Read about what led to this tragedy and how the terrorists managed to seize 1,128 hostages, most of whom were children, in the first part.
Day 1: Terrorists turn the school into a fortress
The hostages were taken into the school gym, where explosives were immediately set up. The individual who placed the bombs was an Arab militant, one of six unidentified terrorists. The bombs that were placed around the hostages were wired together in a single chain and activated by a switch. If the weight on the switch was lifted (the terrorists served as the weight by standing on the pedal in shifts) an electric current would detonate all the bombs simultaneously. Wires also stretched outside, allowing the leader of the gang of terrorists, Ruslan Khuchbarov, to detonate the chain remotely. Most of the explosives were created from powerful military anti-personnel mines. When activated, everything would blow up at once, killing everyone inside. However, due to the devilishly clever design of the mechanism, it was impossible to kill the terrorist standing guard without detonating all the bombs.
The terrorists immediately confiscated everyone’s mobile phones. After the terrorists threatened to execute 20 hostages if they heard a ringtone, the last few prisoners who had hoped to keep their phones tossed them away in panic.
Next, the terrorists outlined their demands. A note was sent to the authorities outside the school, calling for politicians to be brought in for negotiations, and specifying that hostages would be killed if anyone attempted to shoot at the terrorists or if communication or power were cut off. The note was carried out by the mother of one of the children; her teenage son was held at gunpoint, ready to be shot if she tried to escape.
Military forces arrived in Beslan from all directions. A military medical battalion was set up near the town. Soldiers surrounded the school but kept their distance, since at the sound of the slightest movement, gunfire was heard inside the school. Operational headquarters were established onsite, headed by Valery Andreev, the head of the FSB branch in North Ossetia.