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Moscow gunmen release 150 hostages

Vinay Shukla in Moscow

Chechen gunmen holding about 1000 people [some reports put the number at 700] hostage in a Moscow theatre released 150 of them, including children and foreigners, on Thursday morning, the police said.

Valery Gribakin, spokesman for the Moscow police, said that between 40 and 50 gunmen were inside the building, and have demanded that Russian troops leave the breakaway republic of Chechnya.

The release of the hostages came amid reports that lawmaker Aslambek Aslakhanov, who represents Chechnya in Russia's State Duma [lower house of parliament] had managed to establish contact through telephone with the head of the Chechen armed group, Movsar Barayev

Aslakhanov, however, did not manage to reach any agreement with Barayev, the Interfax news agency reported, quoting police sources.

The terrorists had stormed the theatre staging a popular musical Nord-Ost [North-East].

A correspondent of Interfax news agency, who was among the spectators, called her office on mobile phone to report that at the end of the first act of Nord-Ost, masked men stormed the stage and fired in the air, driving the actors into the hall.

Later, the actors were locked in green rooms and 20 children, along with the Muslim spectators and some diplomats were released.

One of the French diplomats released said all the hostage takers were clad in camouflage fatigues and the 'women among them were more fierce than men'.

The terrorists have planted explosives in the hall, the diplomat added.

The Chechen rebels, meanwhile, have claimed responsibility and their web site said Barayev is the nephew of the recently killed Chechen warlord Arbi Barayev.

The web site also reported that 40 widows of mujahids were part of the suicide squad.

The Federal'naya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti special anti-terror force 'Alpha', along with anti-terror squads have been rushed to the theatre, situated in 'House of Culture' of a local ball-bearing plant.

Russian channels interrupted regular transmission to air the standoff live. According to Channel 1 TV, President Putin, who is scheduled to leave on foreign tour on Thursday morning was immediately informed of the incident and was in full control of the situation.

Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy has closed the Kendriya Vidyalaya till further notice and the embassy staff advised to take extra precautions.

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