SAY IT AIN’T SO!

Russian security officials suspect that the Chechens who seized a Moscow theatre in October had wealthy Arab sponsors in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states and have sought Washington’s support in finding the financiers.

Senior officials say they have traced a series of telephone calls from the gunmen to their “sponsors” in the Gulf.

During one call made to an unspecified Gulf state a financier asked for a video of scenes inside the theatre, and was told it could be made for a $1m fee.

“Several long telephone conversations were intercepted to Saudi Arabia, to the Emirates, and to Qatar.

“We can say for sure that the hostage-taking was financed from abroad, and the terrorists maintained permanent contact with their sponsors.”

He added that the leader of the hostage-takers, Mosvar Barayev, and several of his fellow Chechens had planned to flee to the Gulf once the crisis was over.

Well, the plan didn’t work out very well, did it?