New Delhi: India on October 24 denounced the terrorist act in a Moscow theatre where several hundred people have been taken hostage by Chechen rebels and asked the international community to take ''firm and decisive'' steps against all states, individuals and entities, which aid and abet terrorism.

''The primary reason for continued acts of terrorism around the world is the support and assistance that such activities receive from outside forces,'' External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters.

India firmly believed that terrorist acts could not be justified on any ground and the scourge must be eradicated wherever it occurred, he said.

Heavily armed Chechen rebels, holding nearly 1,000 people hostage inside the theatre, have demanded that Russia end its military operations in Chechnya and completely pull out its troops.

The MEA spokesman stressed that ''the international community needs to take firm and decisive steps against all states, individuals and entities which render support, harbour, finance, instigate or train terrorists or promote terrorism.''

PTI