King invites 90 Beslan schoolchildren for visit

29 October 2006
Amman , Jordan

Ninety children from the Beslan school, which was targeted by a terrorist attack two years ago, will arrive in Amman to spend their autumn holiday in the country upon an invitation from His Majesty King Abdullah.

The Russian Interfax news agency cited a source at the North Ossetian Education Ministry as confirming the October 30-November 7 visit.

The agency said the Beslan survivors were scheduled to meet with members of the Royal family, learn about “the history, traditions and culture of Jordan, and visit the King Hussein Mosque and the Dead Sea.”

The hostage drama at the Beslan secondary school killed 331, including 186 children, between September 1-3, 2004.

A total of 797 persons were injured in the incident, which took place while King Abdullah was on a visit to the Russian Federation.

During a summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 2 that year, the King condemned the seizure of school's students as hostages, describing the act as “cowardly and criminal.”

The Jordan Times