The Children of Beslan...

Day One,

At 09:30 local time, a group of approximately 32 heavily-armed attackers wearing black ski masks and and explosive belts, arrived at School Number One in a stolen police van and a military truck. At first, some mistook the attackers for Russian forces practicing a security drill. However, the attackers proved their identities after they started shooting in the air and forced everybody into the school. During the initial chaos, about 50 people managed to flee to safety and alert authorities.

After an exchange o f gunfire with local police, in which it was reported that one attacker and possibly some police officers were killed, the attackers seized the school building, taking more than 1,300 hostages into the gymnasium. Amid the shouts and cying of small children, one of the terrorists went over to a male adult and put a gun to his head. “If you don’t quiet down, this will happen to you.” He then shot the man in the head. Ovet the next few minutes, approximately twenty men were sepparated from the children, taken into a corner and executed. The children were ordered to wash the blood off the floor as the boddies of the dead were thrown out windows.

The attackers then mined the gym and the rest of the building with improvised explosive devices and tripwires. In a further bid to deter rescue attempts, they threatened to kill 50 hostages for every one of their own members killed by the police, and to kill 20 hostages for every injured. They also threatened to blow up the school if government forces attacked.

Hostages packed into the school gym with wired explosives attached to the basketball hoop.

The Russian government initially said that it would not use force to rescue the hostages, and negotiations towards a peaceful resolution took place in the first days. At Russia's request, a special meeting of the United Nations Security Council was convened on the evening of September 1st at which the council members demanded "the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages of the terrorist attack." U.S. president George W. Bush made a statement offering "support in any form" to Russia.

That night, the hostage takers began exploring the area surrounding the school, preparing for an exit strategy once their demands had been met. more...