Terrorist attack in Mineralnye Vody - the seizure of a bus by terrorists that occurred on July 28, 1994 at 16.12, near Pyatigorsk and Mineralnye Vody Airport , Stavropol Territory . The attack killed four of the 36 hostages and one terrorist, injured several hostages and eight policemen [1] [2] [3] .
| The capture of a bus by terrorists in Mineralnye Vody | |
|---|---|
| Overview Information | |
| Place of attack | near Pyatigorsk , Stavropol Territory , Russia |
| Attack target | Bus with passengers |
| date | July 28 - July 29, 1994 16:12 |
| Attack method | armed bus seizure, hostage taking |
| Weapon | pistols, hand grenades |
| Dead | 4 hostages 1 terrorist |
| The wounded | several hostages 8 police officers |
| The number of terrorists | four |
| The terrorists | Said Usmanov, Buvaysar Nanagaev, Shaman Dovtukaev |
| Hostages | 36 |
Content
Timeline
On July 28, 1994, a scheduled bus followed the route Pyatigorsk - Sovetskoye (a village in Kabardino-Balkaria ). When calling at a temporary stop near Mineralnye Vody airport, the terrorists in the passenger compartment pulled on masks, pulled out pistols and ordered the driver not to let anyone out. The hostages were 36 passengers, including 8 children [1] .
The terrorists ordered the driver to go to the airport, and the bus stopped in the parking lot of the bus station. Here four passengers were released from the bus so that they conveyed the demands of the terrorists: $ 15 million and two helicopters with crews. At the same time, the requirements had to be fulfilled before 20.00, otherwise the terrorists threatened to kill the hostages [3] [4] .
After reporting the attack, a headquarters for the release of the hostages was created, headed by Deputy Interior Minister of the Russian Federation Anatoly Kulikov , who already had experience in conducting such operations. The headquarters also included the heads of the administration of the Stavropol Territory, Mineralnye Vody and local law enforcement agencies. The bus was cordoned off by security officers and armored vehicles. By the end of the day, the terrorists reported that they want to meet with the leadership of the Stavropol Territory prosecutor's office - she opened a criminal case against other terrorists who took hostages in late May 1994 (the process in this case began the day before the seizure). According to investigators, this requirement was most likely due to the fact that initially they intended to demand the release of their predecessors. However, the criminals soon abandoned their plans and the meeting with the representative of the prosecutor’s office did not take place [1] [4] [2] .
As the negotiations progressed, the terrorists gradually released the captured passengers, and by 02.30 on July 29, in addition to the criminals, 10 people (mostly women) remained in the bus. The terrorists were provided with a helicopter, and they climbed aboard with the remaining hostages. On 03.06, at the time when the helicopter was ready to take off, the headquarters of the special forces was ordered to begin the liberation operation. Noticing the approaching commandos, one of the criminals took out a grenade and, having pulled out a check, threw it towards the hostages. An explosion at the scene killed two female hostages and one terrorist. Two more hostages (a woman and a 14-year-old girl) died later in the hospital. In addition, several hostages and special forces soldiers (five police officers of the SOBR department and three soldiers of the special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs "Vega" ) suffered from the fragments [1] .
Three terrorists who turned out to be Chechens were detained. Four pistols and five hand grenades were seized from them [1] .
Social Situation
This terrorist attack was the third in the two months preceding it with the same scenario - the seizure of a bus with hostages in the Mineralnye Vody region and the demand for a large sum of money and a helicopter. Presumably all three actions were planned from one center, and at the same time were organized by Chechens [2] .
Investigation and trial
The Stavropol prosecutor’s office on the fact of hostage-taking has opened a criminal case under two articles of the Criminal Code. The accused were charged with hostage-taking and illegal possession of weapons.
On October 13, 1994, the Stavropol Regional Court sentenced Said Usmanov, Shaman Dovtukaev and Buvaysar Nanagaev to capital punishment - execution [1] .
In March 1995, the death penalty was announced by three defendants by the collegium of the Supreme Court of Russia, which, in particular, considered that neither the investigation nor the court had established, as a result of whose actions people were killed and injured. The college found it necessary to conduct a series of additional examinations and collection of additional material evidence [1] .
On August 1, 1997, at the trial that ended in Stavropol, the gang leader Said Usmanov was sentenced to death. Two partners of Usmanov - Buvaysar Nanagaev and Shaman Dovtukaev - were sentenced to 15 years in prison, each serving a sentence in a forced labor colony [1] .
Consequences
It is believed that this is the first in Russia operation to free the hostages, which ended in failure. Two of the captured hostages were killed, two more died in the hospital from injuries. During the operation, five special forces soldiers were injured. In this case, one terrorist was killed, and three were injured [2] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 The capture of a bus by terrorists in Mineralnye Vody in 1994. Help (rus.) , RIA Novosti . Date of treatment February 11, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Hostage-taking in the Stavropol Territory . Date of treatment February 11, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 Bus terrorism in Russia ..... (November 8, 2005). Date of treatment February 11, 2017. Archived November 8, 2005.
- ↑ 1 2 Hostage-taking in the Stavropol Territory . Date of treatment February 11, 2017.