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Phillipines Police Rescue 23 Hostages, Kills Hijacker
Police have stormed a hijacked tourist bus and killed the gunman who took it over Monday in Philippine capital of Manila"He is dead. He was forced to retreat to the front of the vehicle when the SWAT (special weapons and tactics police) team attacked from the back," said assault leader Superintendent Nelson Yabut, quoted by AFP. It's not yet known how many hostages have survived the ordeal. Some captives were seen leaving the bus alive. The hijacker, reportedly a sacked police inspector, had seized the tourist bus Monday morning in an apparent effort to be reinstated to his job. The police moved in on a bus after multiple gunshots were heard in Manila's historic tourist district, where the hijacker is holding several tourists and a local driver hostage. The developments came hours after the hijacker threatened to kill the hostages if police approached. "I can see a lot of SWAT (special weapons and tactics police) coming in. I know they will kill me. They should all leave because anytime I will do the same here," the hijacker told the Radio Mindanao Network. The hijacker, armed with a rifle, seized the bus with about 20 tourists from Hong Kong and three Filipinos onboard near a park in Manilas tourist district. He released nine of the hostages before the bus was stormed by police. A local radio station had reported earlier that the hijacker was negotiating with police, demanding to be reinstated and have his name cleared. Posted by: Fred 2010-08-24 |
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