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>Terrorists hold about 500 hostages
>October 24, 2002 Posted: 00:49 Moscow time (20:49 GMT)
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>MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin has canceled a meeting with German
>Chancellor Gerhard Schreder and a working visit to Portugal, Presidential
>press services have reported.
>
>According to Russian television and news agency reports over the last
hour,
>15 more hostages were released. About 500 people, among them at least 6
>foreign citizens, are still stranded.
>
>Information about hostages can be obtained by hot-line phone +7 (095)
>239-5286, 239-6921.
>
>Aslanbek Aslakhanov, who represents Chechnya in the State Duma, the
federal
>parliament's lower house, spoke with the hostage takers' leader on the
>telephone for negotiations at 2 pm. Contact was broken after a short
>conversation. No understanding has been made. The MP will soon make
another
>try to get the man on the phone, said Valeri Gribakin, the chief of city
>police PR.
>
>A large terrorist gang, presumably Chechen, seized the Theater Center in
>Dubrovka, near the city center, last night. The audience has been taken
>hostage, RIA Novosti news agency reported.
>The Russia Journal
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