Report Questions Events of Beslan School Siege

By Renee Montagne,

Gregory Feifer

Published September 1, 2006 at 3:00 AM PDT

A new report on the Beslan school seizure contradicts an earlier account. More than 300 people were killed two years ago when Chechen militants seized the school. Russian officials have said that the blasts and fire began when hostage-takers set off bombs. But a report from a Russian lawmaker says security forces started the blasts when they fired grenades at the school.

Renee Montagne

Renee Montagne, one of the best-known names in public radio, is a special correspondent and host for NPR News.

See stories by Renee Montagne

Gregory Feifer

Gregory Feifer reports for NPR from Moscow, covering Russia's resurgence under President Vladimir Putin and the country's transition to the post-Putin era. He files from other former Soviet republics and across Russia, where he's observed the effects of the country's vast new oil wealth on an increasingly nationalistic society as well as Moscow's rekindling of a new Cold War-style opposition to the West.