ITALY: A gunman who held several people hostage in an Italian tax office, saying he could not cope with his financial problems, has given himself up to police

Record ID: 376725

  • Title: ITALY: A gunman who held several people hostage in an Italian tax office, saying he could not cope with his financial problems, has given himself up to police
  • Date: 4th May 2012
  • Summary: ROMANO DI LOMBARDIA, ITALY (MAY 3, 2012) (REUTERS) CORDONED OFF ROAD WHERE TAX OFFICE BUILDING IS ROAD SIGN POINTING TO TAX OFFICE MILITARY CARABINIERI POLICE CAR MOVING ALONG ROAD CARABINIERI WALKING OUTSIDE BUILDING MORE OF CORDONED OFF ROAD HELICOPTER FLYING OVERHEAD CARABINIERI BLOCKING ROAD VARIOUS OF PEOPLE LOOKING ON VARIOUS OF ARMED CARABINIERI MOVING ONLO
  • Embargoed: 19th May 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: Economy,People
  • Reuters ID: LVA2BSKKP8GL91OT4UZNNUQ9GF3W
  • Story Text: A man armed with a rifle and two pistols who took hostages at a tax collection office in the town of Romano di Lombardia in northern Italian on Thursday (May 3) surrendered to police after a five hour stand off.
    Carabinieri military police cordoned off the area around the building at the local office of Equitalia, which collects fines and taxes.
    The man, who police identified only as Luigi, initially took 15 hostages, and even fired one shot. After less than an hour he released all but one hostage and began talks with police.
    "He (the hostage taker) has given himself up thanks to the work of our team and the negotiators. For the moment we have to question him because we do not know much about him just that his name is Luigi. For the moment I cannot say anything else. The hostage is well," a police commander said.
    Earlier the man who is believed to be in his fifties, shouted that he was in financial trouble and threatened to shoot himself.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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