BBC

Monday, 23 April, 2001, 00:12 GMT 01:12 UK

Gunmen seize hostages in Istanbul

Hundreds of police have surrounded the hotel Heavily armed gunmen, believed to be from a pro-Chechen group, have seized a luxury hotel in Istanbul and taken a number of people hostage.

The group, armed with shotguns and automatic rifles, forced staff of the Swissotel to lie down in the lobby and demanded to speak to Turkish Interior Minister, Saadettin Tantan, said reports.

Hundreds of police surrounded the hotel early on Monday morning, while the area was sealed off.

Police said that 15 to 20 gunmen were inside the hotel, but there was no information on how many people were being held, or what their condition was.

A BBC correspondent at the scene says hundreds of guests must be regarded as potential if not actual hostages.

Gunshots

Hotel workers said they heard gunshots, but it is not known whether anyone has been hurt. Some guests escaped from the hotel through the fire exits.

The hostage-takers reportedly said they were supporters of Muhammed Tokcan - a Turkish citizen of Chechen origin who hijacked a Turkish ferry in 1996, seizing more than 200 hostages.

They were all freed unharmed after four days. Tokcan is currently in a Turkish prison.

In March, hijackers demanding an end to the war in the breakaway Russian republic of Chechnya, seized a Russian plane with more than 100 hostages and forced it to fly to Saudi Arabia.

The hostages were freed after Saudi commandos stormed the plane in Medina. A Russian flight attendant and a Turkish passenger were killed, along with one of the hijackers.

UN resolution

On Friday, the United Nations condemned Russia for the conduct of its armed forces in Chechnya.

The UN Commission on Human Rights approved a resolution saying Moscow was still using excessive and indiscriminate force in the conflict in the breakaway republic.

The Chechen struggle is popular in Turkey. Turks share the Islamic faith with Chechens, while almost five million Turks trace their roots to Caucasus areas such as Chechnya.

The Chechen rebels have been able to find much support within Turkey, primarily from the large number of Chechen emigres in the country.

Chechen fighters drove the Russian army from Chechnya between 1994 and 1996, becoming de facto independent.

Hugely outnumbered and outgunned, Chechen fighters nonetheless outfought badly led and unmotivated Russian conscripts.

Peace accords signed in 1996 allow five years for the two sides to reach a political settlement. Moscow promised, but never provided, aid for reconstruction.

Chechnya is the largest republic in the North Caucasus, with a population of roughly one million, and aspires to a leading role.

-- Anonymous, April 22, 2001