Basayev makes major statement

The Chechen separatist website Kavkaz-Center has posted an open letter of separatist leader and terrorist Shamil Basayev in which he says that leaders of special services in North Ossetia prompted the gunmen to seize the school in Beslan by introducing their agent Abdullah (Vladimir) Khodov codenamed Putnik ("Traveller") to the gunmen's ranks.

According to Mr Basayev, the Russian special services helped Mr Khodov "make several explosions in Vladikavkaz as a member of one Ingush group" so that he could win Mr Basayev's trust. At the same time, prompted by the special services, Mr Khodov suggested Mr Basayev seizing the parliament and government of North Ossetia. However, having lived for about a month among the gunmen in Ingushetia, Mr Khodov confessed to the group leader that he was an agent. Mr Basayev then suggested Mr Khodov becoming a double agent. According to the Chechen rebel leader, the special services later helped Mr Khodov "with blasting cadets, a KAMAZ truck with liquefied gas in Vladikavkaz, and a passenger train."

Since spring 2004, the gunmen together with Mr Khodov had pretended to be getting ready to seize the governmental complex in North Ossetia, which they had scheduled for 6 September, the date which separatists declared to be Ichkeria Independence Day.

The special agencies planned to meet and destroy the group at the entrance to Vladikavkaz, while Mr Khodov was to hide in a sewer, claims Mr Basayev.

"A corridor was opened to us for active intelligence on 31 August and we entered Beslan through it 'confusing' the time and target of the attack,'" Mr Basayev remarks.

• More evidence from schoolchildren
• Pupils give evidence

More info:

• Basaev, Shamil Salmanovich