Istanbul Police Announce End of Hostage Crisis

Istanbul Police chief Kazim Abanoz officially announced on Monday that "the (hostage-taking) incident in the Istanbul Swisshotel came to an end, as a result of negotiations with the gunmen," reported the Anatolia News Agency.

"A total of 13 gunmen have surrendered to police with their weapons," Abanoz told reporters.

"The gunmen released all hostages. Then, they surrendered to the police with their weapons. Security forces seized 13 weapons and found no explosives with the gunmen," added the police chief.

"Nearly 120 people were taken hostage by the gunmen. They are all in good condition," he said.

"There are very young people among the gunmen. They could engulf themselves in panic, which could led to unpleasant incident (if the police take actions)," said Abanoz, adding that "therefore, we tried to put an end to the crisis by holding negotiations."

After the arrival of Turkish Interior Minister Saadettin Tantan at the hotel, the nearly 12-hour crisis came to an end. Tantan did not hold negotiations with the gunmen as they demanded.

Tantan was quoted by Turkish television as saying that none of the assailants' demands had been met.

The gunmen claimed earlier in the day that their action was a protest against "bloody" Russian attacks in the Caucasus.

It was reported that the 13 Chechen rebels, including Muhammed Emin Tokcan, leader of the group, had been taken to Istanbul Security Department.

Tokcan, a Turkish citizen of Chechen origin, who once hijacked a Turkish Black Sea ferry in 1996, holding more than 200 passengers hostage for four days to protest Moscow's military campaign in Chechnya.

The hijackers later surrendered and were put into prison. Tokcan escaped from prison and was caught in 1999. But he was set free under an amnesty in December 2000.

Russia Insists on Punishing Hostage Takers in Istanbul

Moscow on Monday insisted on the punishment of a group of Pro-Chechnya gunmen, who raided a luxury hotel in Turkey's biggest city of Istanbul late Sunday, taking dozens of guests and staff members hostage.

"The terrorist act in Istanbul, the same as any other, will not go unpunished," the Interfax news agency quoted high-ranking Russian sources as saying on Monday shortly after an end to the hostage crisis had been announced with the surrounding of the

Chechen rebels and the freeing of all hostages, including four

Russian citizens.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said earlier Russia "strongly denounces this barbaric act," and that "the terrorists must immediately release the hostages."

He urged "the Turkish authorities to do their best to settle the dangerous situation and punish the criminals."

At least 20 pro-Chechen gunmen armed with automatic rifles and shotguns stormed the Swissotel in Istanbul late Sunday, taking hostage 50 to 100 guests and staff members, the local media said.

Police on early Monday started negotiations with the captors, who promised not to harm the hostages and demanded the US pressure Russia into stopping military operations in Chechnya.

Last month, a group of Chechen terrorists hijacked a Russian airliner en route from Istanbul to Moscow and forced it to fly to Saudi Arabia.

Some 170 Russian and Turkish hostages were freed after Saudi commandos stormed the plane in Medina, but a Russian flight attendant and one Turkish passenger were killed in the raid.






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