Police arrest bomb threat suspect after eight-hour siege in restaurant

bomb siege glasgow amarone I

A BOMB scare at an Italian restaurant sparked an eight-hour siege in Glasgow last night.

Armed police sealed off a large area of the city centre following reports that a man told staff at Amarone that he had a bomb strapped to his back.

Royal Navy bomb disposal experts, armed police and sniffer dog units raced to the scene. Officers carrying what appeared to be weapons in bags were seen arriving.

Police negotiators spent hours trying to talk the man into giving himself up.

The stand-off ended just after 11.30pm after armed cops smashed the restaurant doors with a battering ram. Officers dressed in black and wearing balaclavas shouted a warning before charging in with dogs.

Ten minutes later, a man was taken out to a waiting car which sped away with siren blaring. It is thought he was taken to hospital suffering minor injuries.

Earlier, when the alarm was raised at 3.45pm, it was feared hostages were being held inside the Italian restaurant, owned by entrepreneur Mario Gizzi.

Nelson Mandela Place at West George Street and adjacent streets were shut off, causing gridlock.

It later emerged the man was inside the basement restaurant alone.

Office worker Ross Anderson, 26, said: “I heard a guy walked into the Italian restaurant, tried to buy drink and was refused service. He then apparently told the staff he had a bomb strapped to his back.”

A large crowd of onlookers gathered behind the police cordon on West Nile Street, as the city centre filled with emergency response teams.

Strathclyde Police Superintendent Brian McInulty said: “Police responded to a call about a man acting suspiciously in Amarone restaurant. It is too early to speculate as to his motives. The police response was appropriate to the nature of the incident.

“Police, specialist officers and other emergency responders are at the scene negotiating with the man, who is alone in the building.

Source:http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2012/02/11/police-arrest-bomb-threat-suspect-after-eight-hour-siege-in-restaurant-86908-23743945/