The terrorists who took over a school in Beslan last month were drug addicts, says Nikolay Shepel, Deputy Prosecutor General, Russia. He said they were addicted to heroin, morphine and some softer drugs. This is according to forensic tests carried out on the terrorists.

Of 32 terrorists they tested, 22 were addicts (long term addicts). These 22 had been regular users of herion and morphine - apparently, they had been injected themselves during the time they were in the Beslan school.

Nikolay Shepel said “The concentration of drugs in bodies of some militants exceeded the lethal dose, which showed that they were drug addicts for long and kept using drugs during preparations for the terrorist act.”

344 people died and many hundreds more were wounded during the Beslan school tragedy, many of them children.

What is Herion?

Heroin is a highly addictive drug derived from morphine, which is obtained from the opium poppy. It is a “downer” that affects the brain’s pleasure systems and interferes with the brain’s ability to perceive pain.

How is it taken?

Heroin can be sniffed from powder, inhaled from fumes of the heated powder, swallowed or injected when dissolved with water.

What does it look like?

White to dark brown powder or a tar like substance.