Hotel gunmen face 26 years in jail

Mohammed Tokcan and 12 others stormed the hotel

A Turkish prosecutor has demanded 26-year jail terms for the leaders of an armed gang which took 120 people hostage at an Istanbul hotel.

The pro-Chechen gang held their hostages for 12 hours at the luxury Swissotel in April.

Hostages faced a 12-hour ordeal

The two leaders, Muhammed Tokcan and Emin Tastan, face charges of leading a criminal organisation, threatening freedom, using firearms, and causing panic.

Prosecutor Muzaffer Yalcin said the 11 other gunmen should get 19-year jail terms.

The gang caused terror among guests and staff at the Swissotel, when they burst in, firing their weapons into the air.

They said they were staging the protest in protest at Russian policy in Chechnya, which has been waging a bloody breakaway struggle with Moscow.

After an all-night siege, the hostages were freed unharmed and the gunmen surrendered peacefully.

The gunmen surrendered to police

The 13 gang members are being held at Istanbul's maximum-security Kartal prison.

Mr Tokcan has already served one jail-term, after another pro-Chechen hostage-taking incident on board a Black Sea ferry in 1996.

But he was released early from prison as part of an amnesty programme.

The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the hotel assault as "barbaric", and called on the Turkish authorities to prevent a repetition.