Gunmen surrender to end Istanbul hotel hostage drama

Gunmen, led by a veteran hostage taker, surrendered in a luxury Istanbul hotel today after holding at least 30 guests and staff overnight.

The 13 pro-Chechen gunmen agreed to end the stand-off after Turkish Interior Minister Sadettin Tantan held talks with them at the Swissotel, local NTV reported.

Armed with automatic rifles and shotguns, the men stormed the hotel last night and surrendered 12 hours later. No one was injured, police said.

The gunmen issued a statement earlier saying their action was aimed at protesting Russia’s ‘‘bloody attacks’’ in the Caucasus, where Chechnya is located.

They had warned police that if they intervened, ‘‘this could turn into a mess.’’. But they urged police to stay calm, saying, ‘‘We don’t have any intention to spill blood.’’

They were apparently led by Muhammed Tokcan, a Turk of Chechen origin who hijacked a ferry and seized more than 200 hostages in 1996. Tokcan was imprisoned in that case after surrendering to police, but was released late last year under an amnesty law.

Hundreds of police surrounded the hotel overlooking the scenic Bosporus strait. Police snipers wearing black ski masks took positions outside the hotel.

Witnesses said guests screamed and ran in panic when the gunmen entered the lobby, firing rounds into the area.

Hotel worker Alisan Ercan said he heard shots and saw four or five gunmen in the lobby as he ran from the hotel.

Hotel guests hid between tables in the lobby, Ercan said. About 60 guests and 40 workers escaped the hotel, many leaving through fire exits, Anatolia reported.

Tokcan hijacked a Turkish Black Sea ferry in 1996 to try to force Russia to stop its assaults on Chechens and protest Moscow’s military drive. He released the hostages unharmed after four days.

In March, Chechens hijacked a Russian plane with more than 100 people aboard from Istanbul’s airport in an apparent attempt to draw attention to what they called Russian atrocities in Chechnya.

Saudi special forces stormed the plane in Medina, Saudi Arabia, after the hijackers threatened to blow up the aircraft. A Russian flight attendant, a Turkish passenger and one of the hijackers were killed.

Chechen rebels drove Russian troops out of Chechnya in a 1994-96 war. Russian forces returned to the breakaway republic in September 1999, and fighting has continued.

The struggle of Chechen rebels against Russia is popular in Turkey. Turks not only share the Islamic faith with Chechens, but some 5 million Turks trace their roots to Caucasus areas such as Chechnya. About 25,000 Chechens live in Istanbul and western Turkey.

There are about 80 Caucasus organisations in Turkey and many have been active in promoting the Chechen cause.