NEWS: Spanish mission seized in Bern

An unidentified group stormed a Spanish mission in Bern, Switzerland. Police have entered the building where at least three intruders were still holding hostages. The situation ended peacefully after several hours; the intruders are believed to have been robbers trying to steal money.



Some of the reason for the lack of carity over events may well be that such an action would normally be immediately blamed upon the Basque separatist group ETA.

I think this however does differs from actions taken previously by ETA, and I am unaware if they have ever struck at Spanish targets on foreign soil.

Reuters


[edit on 7-2-2005 by Banshee]

BC-Switzerland-Spain-Consulate Seized, 4th Ld-Writethru,0320
Spain says assailants who took over consulate in Bern have left the
building
Eds: LEADS throughout to UPDATE with Spanish official saying three
intruders have left consulate.
BERN, Switzerland (AP) -- Spain's foreign minister said Monday
that three assailants who had seized its consulate in the Swiss
capital have left the building and that it appeared to have been a
robbery attempt.
Miguel Angel Moratinos told Spain's national news agency Efe
that the intruders' nationalities were not immediately known and
they had gone in wearing masks and trying to commit a robbery.
He said no Spanish consulate staff members were hurt but a
security guard was injured.
Hours earlier, Swiss police said that unidentified assailants
had taken over the consulate and were believed to have seized at
least one hostage.
Bern City Police spokeswoman Franziska Frey told The Associated
Press that officers sealed off part of the Kirchenfeld neighborhood
after they were alerted shortly after 8 a.m.
"We received information about a hostage seizure," said Frey.
"I don't know any more right now."
Many foreign diplomatic missions are located in the upscale part
of the city.
Police said they did not know how many people were involved in
the seizure. It was not immediately clear whether they were armed
or what their demands were.
There have been a handful of previous security crises at foreign
embassies and consulates in Switzerland, notably in 1999.
In February that year, members of Switzerland Kurdish community
staged a daylong, peaceful occupation of the Greek embassy in Bern,
as well as the Greek consulate in Zurich and United Nations offices
in Geneva. They were protesting Greece's help in the capture of
Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan and his handover to Turkey.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APTV 02-07-05 0556EST

Consulate hostage-takers on the run

THREE armed intruders, thought to be robbers, who had taken at least three hostages at the Spanish consulate in the Swiss capital were on the run today after Swiss police stormed the building, police said.
"The building is being searched and we can assume that there is no-one left in the building. Apparently the hostage-takers are on the run. We have not found them in the building," a federal police spokesman said.

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