Assailants seize Spanish consulate in Switzerland

[Bluebear]

BERN, Switzerland - Unidentified assailants took over the Spanish consulate in Switzerland's capital on Monday, and were believed to have seized at least one hostage, police said.


Bern City Police spokeswoman Franziska Frey told The Associated Press that officers sealed off part of the upscale Kirchenfeld neighborhood after they were alerted shortly after 8 a.m.

Federal Police Office spokeswoman Daniele Bersier said federal authorities had mobilized a special unit that deals with hostage situations.

It was not clear who the hostage-takers were or if they were armed.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20050207/ap_on_re_eu/switzerland_spain_consulate_seized

[truthisfreedom]

1. you see this kind of stuff in movies but it seems so unreal

then blam, it happens.

[maddezmom]

2. according to CNN...hostage situation over

3 gunman taken into custody.

[Pert_UK]

3. Yep....BBC link:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4242491.stm

They were robbers apparently....Very odd. Nobody hurt though.

[maddezmom]

4. one good bit of news for the day

thanks for the link :)

[maddezmom]

5. AP- Swiss Can't Find Assailants in Consulate

2 minutes ago Europe - AP


By ONNA CORAY, Associated Press Writer

BERN, Switzerland - Swiss special forces stormed the Spanish consulate Monday, where three masked assailants had seized hostages nearly seven hours earlier in what officials called an attempted robbery, but the captors had escaped, police said.

A special police unit entered the building around 2:30 p.m. (8:30 a.m. EST), said Juerg Mosimann, a police spokesman. No shots were fired and the police were unable to find the assailants.


The three, believed to be armed with knives and a handgun, took over the consulate in the Swiss capital shortly before 8 a.m. (2 a.m. EST), taking three people hostage.


One captive, a security guard, was injured but managed to escape almost immediately, Mosimann said. The guard was hospitalized, but the injuries were not considered life-threatening, he added.

more: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=518&ncid=716&e=6&u=/ap/20050207/ap_on_re_eu/switzerland_spain_consulate_seized

[emad]

6. Assailants take over Spanish consulate

Reuters
Agencies
Monday February 7, 2005

Hostages were reported taken today when the Spanish consulate in the Swiss capital of Berne was seized by unknown assailants.
One hostage had since escaped and two were freed by police, Reuters reported Swiss police as saying in a statement. It was not known if more hostages were being held.

Berne city police said the hostage takers - three unidentified men - were armed with a knife and a firearm.

The incident started at 8am local time (7am GMT) when one of the men hit a consulate worker on the back of the head and entered the building, a diplomat told the Spanish EFE news agency.

The immediate area around the consulate, in the Kirchenfeld diplomatic district, was sealed off as police tried to communicate with the hostage takers. Security was also stepped up outside international agencies in Geneva.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/spain/article/0,2763,1407636,00.html

[emad]

7. More:

Three intruders believed to be holding hostages at the Spanish consulate in Berne may still be inside the building, Swiss police said on Monday after earlier reports from Spain that the hostage situation was over.

"It is not clear whether the hostage takers are currently in the building," Berne city police said in a statement. It added the hostage takers - three unidentified men - were armed with a knife and a firearm.

One hostage managed to escape, while two more had been freed by police, the statement said. It was unclear whether further hostages were inside the building. Initial reports had suggested only a single intruder was involved.

More follows...

http://www.thisislondon.com/news/articles/16425902?source=Reuters