Ten years ago, on October 23, 2002, Chechen militants seized the Dubrovka theater in Moscow, taking some 900 people hostage. On October 26, Russian security forces launched a full-scale assault in which all the armed radicals and 130 hostages died. Most of the victims were killed by a narcotic gas pumped into the theater to subdue the hostage-takers. These photos show how the crisis unfolded over four agonizing days.
Four Days At Dubrovka
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Russian police stand outside the Dubrovka theater in Moscow after Chechen extremists stormed the building and took between 900 and 1,000 people hostage on the evening of October 23, 2002.
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Representatives of Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres) wave a white flag in an effort to gain access to the hostages on the morning of October 24.
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Doctors remove a victim who had been shot by the militants.
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Reporters gather at the police cordon to wait for news from inside the theater.
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Hostage Maria Shkolnikova leaves the theater with a letter in which the hostages urge Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet the militants' demands and withdraw Russian troops from Chechnya.
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People gathered outside volunteer to take the place of the hostages.
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Special task forces gather nearby on October 25.
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Representatives of the Red Cross gain access to the theater on October 25.
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Security officers keep the area cordoned off.
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On October 26, the fourth day of the hostage crisis, special forces stormed the theater. Here, doctors help a hostage wounded in the raid.
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Troops carry out hostages, many of whom were badly affected by the gas pumped into the theater to subdue the militants.
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The main explosive device planted by the militants, all of whom were killed in the raid