Kulayev attacked in courtroom

One victim attacked Mr Nurpashi Kulayev, the defendant, at the hearing of the Beslan terrorist act case in North Ossetia's Supreme Court earlier today.

When Mr Kulayev was ushered in the courtroom and seated in a special cage with bullet-proof glass, he was attacked by a victim, Ms Zalina Guburov, who lost her stepson and mother in the terrorist act, RIA Novosti reports.

The woman was able to reach the defendant through holes in the cage. Crying out, "Look at him! He wants to see his children!" she hit him several times and tore his pullover. The escort seated the woman back and passed on a coat for Mr Kulayev, according to NTV.

The trial of Mr Nurpashi Kulayev, a participant in the attack on school No 1 in Beslan, then continued, according to NEWSru.com, with witnesses being interrogated.

Ms Susanna Dudiev, chairwoman of the Beslan Mothers Committee, says that the prosecution with Mr Nikolai Shepel, Deputy Prosecutor General of Russia for the South federal district, at the head continues to ignore witnesses of the injured party, Regnum news agency reports. Relatives of those killed in the terrorist act believe that this task has been set to them by Mr Vladimir Kolesnikov, First Deputy Prosecutor General of Russia. "We believe that positive changes have occurred in the trial of Kulayev. Finally, representatives of law enforcement agencies who were involved in the tragic events in Beslan have been summoned to the trial," said Ms Susanna Dudiev.

At the previous meeting, last Thursday, one victim and one witness were interrogated. Interrogation of the latter had been solicited by victims.

A total of 31 witnesses and 222 victims have been interrogated during the trial and 399 protocols of victims' pre-trial evidence have been read out.

Three hundred and thirty-one were killed as a result of the hostage-taking in school No 1 in Beslan, North Ossetia, on 1 September 2004, including 318 hostages, 186 children among them. Those killed also include two officers of the Civil Defence and Emergencies Ministry, ten officers of a special unit of the Federal Security Service of Russia, and a Beslan resident who was taking part in rescuing the hostages. Wounded were 728 hostages and Beslan residents, as well as 55 officers of the Federal Security Service, policemen, and military men. A total of 1,128 people were taken hostage by the terrorists in the school.

• Alleged accomplice interrogated in North Ossetia