Aslan Maskhadov, a rebel leader and former president of Chechnya,

....has steadily become more sidelined in recent times by more radical leaders in the Chechen fight for a breakaway Muslim republic.

Russian officials have charged that Al-Qaeda financed the attack and that Chechen leader Samil Basayev planned it. But, the Islambuli Brigades, which claimed responsibility for the August 24 aircraft crashes in Russia that killed 90, has denied responsibility for the school massacre:

The group, thought to be linked to Al-Qaeda, published a notice on a website. "We announce that none of our units have links with this operation. We supplied neither warriors nor funds for this attack. We salute the struggle of our brothers in Chechnya. We hold the Russian government responsible for the operation in Ossetia."

A suspect in the massacre has been arrested, and Russia did the "perp walk" today, parading the accused on national tv:

The suspect, who spoke on camera, proclaimed his innocence. "Of course I pitied the children, I swear to Allah. I have children myself. I didn't shoot. I swear to Allah," he said. "I don't want to die. I swear to Allah, I want to live."

In other actions, Russian officials have shown a degree of humility:

President Vladimir Putin, who made a surprising admission on national television of Russian weakness in the face of terrorists, declared two national days of mourning. Putin said the fall of the Soviet Union had left the country unable to react to attacks and promised to reform security forces. "We must create a much more effective system of security," he said. "We couldn't adequately react. ... We showed weakness, and weak people are beaten."

....The interior minister of North Ossetia, Kazbek Dzantiyev, submitted his resignation Sunday, saying he could not remain in office after the attack, Interfax and Itar-Tass reported. "After what happened in Beslan, I don't have the right to occupy this post as an officer and as a man," the Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying.