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CNN Live At Daybreak
Update on Hostage Stand-Off in Moscow
Aired October 25, 2002 - 05:12 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to turn our attention now to the Russian hostage crisis. Chechen rebels holding hundreds of hostages at a theater in Moscow released eight children just within the past hour and they have promised to free all non-Russians.
We want to get the latest from CNN's Matthew Chance in Moscow -- are they holding to that promise? Will they release the Americans held hostage in that theater, Matthew?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We don't know yet. I mean there has been this brief raising of hopes here outside the theater in southern Moscow, where this stand-off continues. As you mentioned, eight children have been released into the custody of the Red Cross. They're still inside the building, but negotiating for the release of other hostages. Those children between the ages of six and 12, we're told by Red Cross and Russian officials.
But those officials of the Red Cross are the only people engaged in negotiations with the hostage takers at this stage. They're focusing their attention on some 25 other children still believed to be held amongst the audience, the captives now inside the theater, as well as 75 non-Russians, foreign nationals, including three Americans and citizens of other countries that were attending the performance of this very popular musical here in Moscow when the gunmen burst in and held them all captive, Carol.
So still they've got a lot of activity in terms of negotiations going on to try and secure the release of these people and, of course, the many hundreds of other Russian people inside the theater.
COSTELLO: No more violence this morning, though, as far as gunfire or the lobbing of grenades?
CHANCE: Well, there has been a number of incidents, a number of people attempted or succeeded, in some cases, to escape from the building. This has resulted in some gun firing, some grenade exploding earlier on. Much of the attention now, though, is focused on, as I say, trying to negotiate as many people out of this situation as possible.
We may have some video, which is quite interesting, which I'd quite like to refer to, which is video from the interior of this theater, the first real glimpse that we've had of the inside of this theater since this hostage crisis began. Apparently a local TV journalist was allowed inside, accompanying a doctor who is attending the needs of the hostages who have been held captive for some three days now. You can see in that video the covered faces of the Chechen rebels who are holding the hostages, as well as the condition of the many members of the audience, the many innocent people who are still inside that theater in a situation which they, of course, could not have expected, could not have anticipated, and which, obviously, many people are very concerned about.
COSTELLO: Absolutely.
Matthew Chance, thanks for that update live from Moscow this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 25, 2002 - 05:12 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to turn our attention now to the Russian hostage crisis. Chechen rebels holding hundreds of hostages at a theater in Moscow released eight children just within the past hour and they have promised to free all non-Russians.
We want to get the latest from CNN's Matthew Chance in Moscow -- are they holding to that promise? Will they release the Americans held hostage in that theater, Matthew?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We don't know yet. I mean there has been this brief raising of hopes here outside the theater in southern Moscow, where this stand-off continues. As you mentioned, eight children have been released into the custody of the Red Cross. They're still inside the building, but negotiating for the release of other hostages. Those children between the ages of six and 12, we're told by Red Cross and Russian officials.
But those officials of the Red Cross are the only people engaged in negotiations with the hostage takers at this stage. They're focusing their attention on some 25 other children still believed to be held amongst the audience, the captives now inside the theater, as well as 75 non-Russians, foreign nationals, including three Americans and citizens of other countries that were attending the performance of this very popular musical here in Moscow when the gunmen burst in and held them all captive, Carol.
So still they've got a lot of activity in terms of negotiations going on to try and secure the release of these people and, of course, the many hundreds of other Russian people inside the theater.
COSTELLO: No more violence this morning, though, as far as gunfire or the lobbing of grenades?
CHANCE: Well, there has been a number of incidents, a number of people attempted or succeeded, in some cases, to escape from the building. This has resulted in some gun firing, some grenade exploding earlier on. Much of the attention now, though, is focused on, as I say, trying to negotiate as many people out of this situation as possible.
We may have some video, which is quite interesting, which I'd quite like to refer to, which is video from the interior of this theater, the first real glimpse that we've had of the inside of this theater since this hostage crisis began. Apparently a local TV journalist was allowed inside, accompanying a doctor who is attending the needs of the hostages who have been held captive for some three days now. You can see in that video the covered faces of the Chechen rebels who are holding the hostages, as well as the condition of the many members of the audience, the many innocent people who are still inside that theater in a situation which they, of course, could not have expected, could not have anticipated, and which, obviously, many people are very concerned about.
COSTELLO: Absolutely.
Matthew Chance, thanks for that update live from Moscow this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
