Chechen Terrorists Planned "Second Beslan" - Prosecutor

Created: 18.05.2005 17:15 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 17:15 MSK

MosNews

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/05/18/beslanreserve.shtml

Four Chechen rebels, detained in April 2005, planned to carry out a Beslan-style
terrorist attack at a village in the republic of Ingushetia, Russian Deputy
Prosecutor General Nikolai Shepel was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying.

A reserve group of 11 guerillas, led by warlord Aslanbeck Hatuev, would have
seized a school in the republic neighboring North Ossetia on Sept. 1, 2004 if
anything had gone wrong in Beslan. Like the Beslan hostage-takers, they were
also trained by the Arabian mercenary Abu Dzeit who had worked out the plan of
the seizure. He was killed in February 2005 by Russian special forces.

The group included fewer people than Beslan one because the village of
Nesterovskaya, chosen by the rebels, is smaller. One of the four arrested
rebels, Rezvan Hodzhiev had to work as a guide for the others, as he had studied
in the school and knew its layout. The same role was played by Beslan
hostage-taker Vladimir Hodov. Nikolai Shepel also reported that the
investigation has already determined the names of some of the other members of
the group.

After the terrorists' leader realized that the Beslan seizure had been
'successful', the deputy prosecutor explained, he told the second group to halt
preparations.

According to Shepel, Dzeit valued the Beslan seizure as more important, thinking
it would help him to secure his objective and eventually move several Russian
regions away from Moscow's power, the official said.

During the hostage-taking and the siege in September of last year 330 people,
including 180 children, were killed in Beslan.