MOSCOW. Sept 7 (Interfax-AVN) - The group of terrorists which took schoolchildren hostage in the North Ossetian town of Beslan was led by a rebel who went by the name of "colonel" and was a member of Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev's special squad, sources close to the investigation into the hostage crisis told Interfax.
"Investigators have already identified most of the bandits killed in Beslan. Four of them participated in the raids on Ingushetia on June 22," a source said.
Citing arrested Chechen resident Nurpashi Kulayev, who was among the terrorists who took schoolchildren hostage in Beslan, the source said that serious disagreements arose between the terrorists from the very beginning. "Some of them disapproved of the choice of a school as a target for the attack. The 'colonel' responded by killing the defiant rebel and pushed a button, blowing up two female suicide bombers," the source said.
"The 'colonel' ordered the other terrorists not to give water and food to the children. By doing so he wanted to put pressure on the federal authorities. The 'colonel' conducted all talks with officials," the source told Interfax.
"The 'colonel' said 'no one will leave this place alive' and told the other rebels that all of them would either blow themselves up or fire back to the last bullet," the source cited the arrested terrorist as saying.
He said that in order to intimidate the hostages and the members of the gang, the "colonel" shot a hostage, a middle-aged man, and left his body lying in the gym where the children were held.