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Dozens held in Moscow siege probe
MOSCOW, Russia -- Russian authorities investigating the Moscow theatre siege have detained dozens of people as the funerals continue for the 117 victims who died in the incident. Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov was quoted by ITAR-Tass news agency as saying several dozen people had been detained in Moscow on suspicion of helping organise the takeover of the theatre by Chechen rebels who held 800 people hostage for three days. The hostage-takers had been demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops from the breakaway republic. Some of the 30 being held included Chechens picked up in a minibus that allegedly had traces of TNT explosives, The Associated Press reported ITAR-Tass as saying. Gryzlov said the round-up was an "unprecedented drive to track down terrorists." But CNN's Ryan Chilcote said: "Often Russian authorities detain people and then ask the questions. We will have to wait and see what kind of role they had in this hostage situation." In Denmark, a top Chechen envoy who was attending the European Union's Chechen Congress in Copenhagen is being held by Danish police on the request of Russian authorities. (Full story) The crackdown comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with top officials to discuss strengthening national security. Moscow's chief doctor said 115 hostages died from health problems stemming from a mystery gas pumped into the building just before Russian forces raided it by special forces early Saturday. Two hostages died from gunshot wounds. Putin appears to have the overwhelming support of the Russian people for his handling of the siege. The first poll carried out since the siege showed 85 percent of respondents backing Putin over the rescue operation, with just 10 percent being sharply critical, the VTsIOM agency said on Wednesday. Russian authorities said they had used the gas after the heavily armed rebels began executing hostages. The Chechen rebels had also threatened to blow up the building and had rigged it up with explosives. Sergei Yastrzhembsky, an aide to Putin, was quoted by AP as saying: "There was not one scenario that could have guaranteed the lives of the hostages and the special forces in a theatre filled with 330 pounds of explosive devices." The families of the victims are continuing to bury their dead on Wednesday. About 245 former hostages remain in hospital four days after being freed, 16 of whom are in a critical condition. Anxious relatives stood outside the hospitals trying to find out more information about the condition of their loved ones, while mourners laid flowers and notes outside the bullet-riddled theatre building. Nine foreign nationals died in the rescue operation. Antidote 'blunder'Russian authorities are still refusing to name the chemicals, drawing criticism that the treatment of the injured was hampered as a result. The U.S. and the UK are attempting to get tissue samples or toxicological data from the former hostages in order to discover what gas, or cocktail of gases, was used. Alexander Vershbow, the U.S. Ambassador in Moscow, was quoted by Reuters as saying: "We regret that the lack of information contributed to the confusion after the immediate operation to free the hostages was over. "It's clear that with perhaps a little more information at least a few more of the hostages may have survived." A Russian parliament member has called the government's failure to tell doctors what antidote to use on victims "a blunder" that should be investigated. The liberal Union of Right Forces faction attempted to set up a commission to probe all aspects of the hostage crisis, including the rescue attempt, in the Russian parliament but failed to win the support of key centrist parties on Tuesday. The White House said President George W. Bush felt "very strongly" that blame for the tragic deaths of the hostages "lies with the terrorists" and not the Russian government. Meanwhile, Russian forces suffered a setback in Chechnya on Tuesday, when a Russian helicopter was shot down by rebels. The Interior Ministry confirmed to CNN that the Mi-8 helicopter was hit, probably with a missile, in a rebel attack. The victims were crew and passengers. (Full story) Copyright 2002 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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