Beslan investigators hold 16-year-old girl

Russian authorities have detained two people on suspicion of being linked to terrorists who held more than 1,000 people hostage in a school in September.

Nikolai Shepel, Russia’s deputy prosecutor general and head of the investigation into the September 1 to 3 seizure of the school in Beslan, North Ossetia, said a 16-year-old resident of neighbouring Ingushetia has been detained on charges of possible links to the terrorists.

Shepel wouldn’t elaborate, but the daily Gazeta identified the suspect as Marina Korigova, a college student, and said she had been in custody for about two weeks.

Investigators said Korigova had had 16 telephone conversations with a man who had taken part in the school seizure, Gazeta quoted Korigova’s lawyer as saying.

The lawyer, Sharip Tepsayev, said that Korigova said the man was her neighbour and insisted that she had done nothing wrong.

The daily Vremya Novostei said that another resident of Ingushetia, Akhmed Merzhoyev, 28, had also been detained on charges of involvement in the school seizure.

It quoted investigators as saying that Merzhoyev had delivered food to the assailants at their camp in a forest before the attack and that he knew about their plans.

Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev has claimed responsibility for the school seizure, which ended in a hail of gunfire and explosions, killing more than 330 hostages.

Russian officials have said that 32 raiders took part in the attack and that 31 were killed and one captured. Media reports have suggested there were more attackers and that some escaped.