Living Side by Side with Terrorists Do Terrorists
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A Special Report Sponsored by Voice of Russia and Russia House Associates World Terror Alert May 9, 2013 TERRORISM “EXTREMISM DOESN’T HAVE A HOMELAND” US-RUSSIA DIALOGUE “I SURVIVED A terror attack is the most grim occurrence which pulls people together. Be it a group of survivors meeting to share their feelings and reminisce about loved ones lost, a joint operation by DO THE TERROR international services working on its prevention, or even extremists themselves who have TERRORISTS become inspired by yet another attack seen on the news, these attacks create a strong ATTACK” connection of a special kind. The Boston marathon bombing has reminded society of HAVE By Margarita Bogatova the ongoing war against terrorism which started after 9/11. Each terror attack affects The Voice of Russia Staff Writer countless lives and each person has a story, proving that no one is A HOME? immune to terrorism. Olga Protas has celebrated two President Vladimir Putin called Rus- birthdays each year since October sia one of the earliest victims of inter- 2002. She was 15 when terrorists took national terrorism. “It’s not about na- her and 916 other people in the audi- tionality or religion, as we have said a ence of Russia’s Dubrovka Theater in thousand times – what is at issue here Moscow hostage. The event has be- is extremism”. come known worldwide as “the Nord- Putin called for an increase of joint Ost siege”. About 50 militants rushed anti-terrorism work between Moscow into the building during the middle and Washington. Real cooperation of the performance and held the au- should replace empty declarations that dience and staff at gunpoint for 57 terrorism is a common threat, he stated. hours. Shortly thereafter, 90 hostages “I just want to ensure that this tragedy managed to flee the building or hide. has prompted us to boost cooperation The terrorists were heavily armed and in addressing common threats, one of were led by Movsar Barayev. The hos- which – the most important and dan- tage takers didn’t let the prisoners re- gerous one – is terrorism. If we really ceive medical assistance, food or wa- join efforts, we will not have any more ter and suicide bombers threatened attacks such as this and we will not bear to martyr themselves if the hostages losses such as these again.” attempted to overpower them. The Ironically, terrorists have their own siege resulted in at least 130 civilian way to unite, said Mark Sleboda from deaths, not counting the 40 attackers, the Department of Sociology and In- and in total, more than 700 hostages ternational Relations at Moscow State were injured. Over 750 hostages were University. People are becoming radi- rescued by the special services. calized through the internet and media, “I clearly remember when we un- and this gives them a chance to spread derstood that something was going radical messages and compare notes, wrong and when we saw terrorists the expert said. come onto the stage, people were “Terrorism doesn’t require participa- shocked, nobody could understand tion in an active cell. Terrorism is an what was going on because the ac- idea now. Extremists view themselves tors were dressed in the same military as part of a global community and their uniforms” – Olga explained. Even 10 world is under assault. They’re fighting years after the Moscow theater hos- back in any way they can” – Sleboda tage crisis, she remembers the min- noted. Due to fundamental differences ute details of the two and a half day in opinions, radical extremists’ com- ordeal. munities and the rest of the world face “After a couple of minutes, we saw massive obstacles in finding common the huge 1.5 meter bombs being ground. brought into the theater, and we real- However, it is clear that terror attacks ized that it is not part of the show, that are being performed by people without something terrible is going on.” Olga’s any link to their home country; they relatives believe that the rescue opera- Illustrated by Elena Kulinich oppose some idea or political cause of tion gave her a second chance to live the country that they act out against. and mark the day of rescue, October I think it was, it covered the inside cynical and dramatic attacks per- was just starting the second grade. Her The suspected architects of the Boston 26, every year. of the tunnel walls, it was in the air formed by terrorists in the history of knees were horribly injured by the de- massacre never lived in Russia; they are After the July 7, 2005 London and that’s what made it very hard to mankind, known as the Beslan school bris from the terrorists’ explosives. homegrown US terrorists, which proves bombings, Jackie Patman suffered breathe. So, you couldn’t see anything. hostage crisis in School 1 in one of the Even after several operations, she still the fact that extremism does not have a from minor injuries and post trau- But then we could hear screams.” small cities in Southern Russia. On has some shrapnel embedded in her home. matic stress disorder. She was on her “I think we were trapped for about September 1, a group of armed radical leg. “Even if the Tsarnaev brothers were way to work when four homegrown an hour and then we were evacuated Islamists in balaclava masks stormed A total of 354 people, including 185 not connected to any specific registered Islamist terrorists detonated four from the building. I was escorted past the school and took more than 1,128 children, died and some 783 people international terrorist organization, bombs across the city, three in quick the worst of the carnage.” Internation- people hostage, including 777 chil- were injured. the problem is that they were militant succession on London underground al media has called this Britain’s first dren. Among the terrorists were sui- The dual bombing at Boston’s Islamists, that they held these views” – trains and later the fourth bomb on ever suicide attack, and the deadliest cide bombers. The hostages weren’t Boylston Street during the annual political analyst Dmitry Babich com- a double-decker bus in the center of bombing in London since World War allowed to eat, drink or use the toilet, marathon on April 15, 2013 left 3 peo- mented. “And now, thanks to the so- London. This tragedy took the lives II. A few days afterwards, Jackie met and were forced to kneel in the school ple dead and injured more than 260. called Arab Spring, we are going to have of 52 civilians and the four bombers. with other victims of the 7/7 attack gym during the entire siege. Anyone No international radical organization at least five more radical Islamist states Jackie was among the 700 injured. and noted that most of them share the ‘misbehaving’ from the terrorists’ has claimed responsibility. American in the world.” “I only recently discovered the force same feelings and emotions. point of view was shot or injured. The police killed one of the suspects, per- Terrorist attacks might be viewed as a of the bomb and given how close I Nine hundred eleven days after the hostage takers didn’t allow any of the manent resident of the US an ethnic failure of multiculturalism or immigra- was to it, I actually should have died. September 11 attacks in New York dead bodies to be removed from the Chechen Tamerlan Tsarnaev, in the tion policies. These are the issues where And I think it’s the construction of the City, the morning of March 11, 2004 scene. shootout on April 19, four days after Russia has the most experience, said train that probably saved my life and saw Madrid get rocked by simulta- “When the siege began, I was so the attack. The second suspect, Tamer- Mark Sleboda. the lives of the other people who were neous coordinated bombings on the scared I ran, but our teacher caught lan’s younger brother, 19-year-old US “The issue of multiculturalism in in my carriage” – she noted. train system of the Spanish capital. us and said ‘please, follow me or they citizen Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was later Russia and the West is completely dif- “The train pulled out of Edgware Ten explosions hit four commuter will shoot you’, so we went to the found in a boat in a backyard in Wa- ferent because Russia has 185 ethnici- Road station and was gathering speed trains between 7:37AM and 7:40AM gym where they kept us. We sat and tertown, Massachusetts. The surviving ties; they’ve been part of Russia for well in the tunnel. There was a flash and local time. Al-Qaeda reported its in- watched how they began hanging suspect is now being kept at the Fed- over 200 years, going all the way back the air was full of glass, tiny shards of volvement in the attack, which took their grenades on chairs and basket- eral Medical Center Devens, due to to the time of the Golden Horde.” Mul- glass.” The sound of the explosion was the lives of 191 and left at least 1,800 ball hoops. We were forced to kneel, severe injuries. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a ticulturalism, which is an intrinsic part like fireworks, Jackie recalled. “Very people injured. our hands behind our backs” – Alina follower of radical Islam, has claimed of Russia, is relatively new in Western shortly after that there was smoke. The beginning of the 2004 school Tsgoeva, one of the hostages, remem- responsibility for the marathon blasts countries, and it is completely ahistori- Well, it’s hard to know if it was smoke.