In October of 2002, a group of radicalized Muslim extremists from the former Russian province of Chechnya took more than 800 people hostage in a shocking attack on a Moscow theatre. The three-day siege, which began during an evening performance of the musical Nord-Ost, was captured by the theatre’s video camera and broadcasted around the world. The event left audiences shocked and the Russian government scrambling for answers.
The attack began around 9pm on October 23rd when 40 armed militants stormed into the theater, hijacked the show, and held audience and cast members captive for over 57 hours. They demanded that Russia end its fighting with Chechen rebels in exchange for their hostages’ lives. During this time, frightened hostages suffered from lack of food and water as well as psychological torture at the hands of their captors – including threats to blow up the building with explosives strapped to their bodies.
Finally, early in the morning on October 26th, Russian special forces pumped a gas into the air ducts which caused most of the militants to fall asleep; they then stormed in and rescued everyone inside. Although there were no fatalities among hostages, 129 people died due to toxic gas exposure.
This siege is one of modern history’s most tragic events – one that has been documented extensively through first-hand accounts and interviews with survivors as well as archived footage from security cameras. To understand more about this harrowing story we recommend watching “Nord-Ost: The Musical Terrorists” – a documentary exploring the details behind this violent incident and its aftermath.
