According to this article:
Russian security officials suspect that the Chechens who seized a Moscow theatre in October had wealthy Arab sponsors in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states... Senior officials say they have traced a series of telephone calls from the gunmen to their "sponsors" in the Gulf.
During one call made to an unspecified Gulf state a financier asked for a video of scenes inside the theatre, and was told it could be made for a $1m fee.
"Several long telephone conversations were intercepted to Saudi Arabia, to the Emirates, and to Qatar.
"We can say for sure that the hostage-taking was financed from abroad, and the terrorists maintained permanent contact with their sponsors."
Further:
Russian security officials have been issuing warnings about the threat posed by Islamist extremists funded by wealthy Gulf state benefactors since the mid-90s
Well, the Russians have had a problem with Muslims for many years and with the Chechens specifically. Whether those were just conquests or not, the current methods used by the Chechens - and their fellow travellers - are certainly reprehensible.
Terrorism · Wed, 12/04/2002 - 23:25 · Importance: 1