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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.
It looks like it.wolvie20m said:They still there?
Kathianne said:They don't know by whom. Any guesses?
Assailants Seize Consulate in Switzerland
6 minutes ago Europe - AP
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...p_on_re_eu/switzerland_spain_consulate_seized
Comrade said:My money is on Basque Seperatists. The Islamists have less of a beef with Spain than other countries it could have targeted, and considering the whole lot has not already been massacred, with their heads rolled out of the windows, I doubt its the religion of peace.
Hostages taken at Spanish consulate in Berne
Mon Feb 7, 2005 10:33 AM GMT
BERNE (Reuters) - A man has pushed his way into the Spanish consulate in the Swiss capital Berne and hit a doorman over the head before seizing as many as two hostages, a Spanish embassy official says.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry said it did not suspect Islamic terrorism was the motive and the man appeared to be mentally imbalanced.
On March 11 last year, bombings in Madrid claimed by the Islamic group al Qaeda killed 191 people.
"At around 8 o'clock (7 a.m.) a man entered the consulate. He hit a doorman over the head," the embassy official told Reuters by telephone on Monday.
The official said it was unclear whether the man was armed. "He is holding one or two people," he said.
Local police and the Spanish Foreign Ministry could not immediately confirm any hostages had been taken.
A Reuters photographer at the scene said the area around the consulate, located in an upscale neighbourhood near the historic city centre of Berne, had been cordoned off.
Several sharpshooters and hundreds of police were stationed around the building, he said.
A spokesman for the Swiss Federal Office of Police said a special unit that deals with hostage-taking situations had raced to the scene.
and they dotn have the little annoying policies about killing people like we do. i bet they have a "oporitunity shot" "policy" in effect. if theres only one, take his ass out the first time you have a clear shotSeveral sharpshooters and hundreds of police were stationed around the building, he said.
