Chechen gunmen shot and killed one of the hundreds of hostages being held at a Moscow theatre, Russian news media reported on Thursday.
A female hostage held by Chechen militants in a Moscow theatre was executed by her captors on Thursday.
A TV report showed a stretcher with a covered body being taken out of the theatre.
The report of the killing came as two explosions were heard, according to an Agence France Presse correspondent at the scene. This was the third bomb blast since the occupation began.
The sound of the powerful blasts appeared to come from inside the theatre, a correspondent from NTV TV at the scene reported. He added that the explosions were too loud to have been made by a grenade.
On Thursday morning five captives were released from the Moscow theatre by the heavily armed Chechen suicide squad threatening to shoot captives and blow up the building.
About 700 people are believed to be held by the 50-strong group of gunmen and women, who have demanded the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya and said they are prepared to die for their cause.
Members of the audience allowed to telephone out to Russian news agencies and broadcasters said the assailants have land mines strapped to their bodies and have drilled holes in the theatre structure and filled them with explosives.
The British Foreign Office on Thursday afternoon confirmed that one of at least three Britons believed to be among the hostages had been released. A small girl is also understood to have been freed.
The International Red Cross has launched talks with the hostage takers and is trying to secure the release of foreigners and children at least.
The crisis began with a volley of gunfire as the gunmen burst on to the stage during the second act of a hit musical at 10.15pm Russian time, firing shots into the ceiling. They ordered the cast off stage, then told all children to leave the theatre. There are reports that Muslims were allowed to leave.
The Interfax news agency, quoting released hostages, said there were pools of blood in the hall of the theatre. Other hostages reported that the attackers had beaten spectators.
One boy who was allowed to leave the theatre, Denis Afanasiev (13) said: ”We were about 18 to 20 in number and they let us go out.” The boy said he saw women among the gunmen and that all of them had mines strapped to their bodies.
An official said the 50-strong group — said to be led by a nephew of Chechen warlord Arbi Barayev — described themselves as a suicide death squad, or smertniki. The first blast came from the direction of the theatre shortly after 9am on Thursday and heightened nervousness in the city.
Shortly after the explosion, German and Austrian embassy officials were told they could win the release of Western hostages. But the captives were not freed when the Chechens said the diplomats had arrived too late.
One member of the audience who was watching the production of North-East, one of Moscow’s most popular shows, said in an interview broadcast live on Russia’s NTV television that men wearing camouflage dress had shouted: ”Don’t you understand what’s going on? We are Chechens.”
Although Russian officials have repeatedly said they are winning the war in Chechnya, which revived in 1999, fighting has been particularly intense in recent weeks.
Moscow accuses the Chechens of using Georgia as their base and Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to use aircraft to strike against Georgian territory last month.
Russian troops encircled a village just inside Chechnya and killed 80 Chechen rebels last month. A dozen Russians and a British journalist, Roderick Scott, were killed .
On Thursday Putin declared his overriding goal was to make sure none of the hostages was harmed as he attempted to deal with the worst terrorist crisis Moscow has faced since a spate of apartment bombings in 1999, when hundreds were killed.
The raid has brought home to the heart of Russia a war as seen as far off by many in the country despite the growing number of military and civilian casualties.
A pro-rebel website said the Russians had seven days to begin the withdrawal or the theatre and hostages would be blown up. It explained that some of the female hostage takers were the widows of Chechen rebels killed fighting the Russians.