Manila police end hostage crisis
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6448779.stm Version 0 of 1. Police in the Philippines have stormed a courtroom in the capital Manila, killing a gunmen to end a day-long hostage drama, officials say. They say hostage-taker Almario Villegas was shot dead during the operation inside the Taguig Hall of Justice. Two of the hostages were freed unharmed but the fate of two others - as well as the gunman's girlfriend and alleged accomplice - remains unknown. Mr Villegas seized the hostages in a dispute over land ownership. The hostage crisis was ended on Wednesday afternoon, after an elite police unit stormed the courtroom in suburban Manila. Several gunshots and a loud explosion rang out inside the building as the commandoes went in. Mr Villegas, a former marine, appeared in the courtroom on Tuesday afternoon over an eviction notice filed by one of the four people he later took hostage. He then drew a gun and a grenade, threatening to kill the hostages, officials said. |