Posted on 02/07/2005 1:02:35 AM PST by HAL9000
Unidentified hostage-takers have seized the Spanish consulate in the Swiss capital, Berne, police said.The affluent area around the consulate has been sealed off.
Could be just a nut with a gun. If it were AQ, they probably would have just blown up the building and been done with it. Or they would have webcast some beheadings. Besides Spain did everything AQ asked of them, overthrowing their own government and pulling troops out of Iraq.
From the Tagesanzeiger:
10:04 Newsticker
Hostage Situation at Spanish Consulate in Bern
Bern - Several unknown persons have reported taken one or more persons hostage at the Spanish Consulate in Bern. The police were informed of the incident at 8:10 am. The police are currently unable to confirm or deny the report.
The are around the consulate has been widley cordoned off, according to a press release from Government officials and the City Police. Based on a judgement of the situation, the necessary actions have been initiated.
The Swiss only recently joined the UN, in a sense, they're hardly a UN poster child - which is an interesting paradox - Switzerland's neutrality means it hosts a lot of international organisations, but at the same time, they limit their participation in them.
Regards, Ivan
Not much Info released. Spanish Embassy just confirmed incident. Said single assailant hit doorman over the head to gain entry. Not clear whether assailent armed.
That's about it so far.
hmm. I just came back from Zermatt last night. Interesting.
HOSTAGE TAKERS SEIZE SPANISH CONSULATE
Several people are thought to be being held hostage after in a siege at the Spanish consulate in Switzerland.
Police do not know the identity of the kidnappers and have closed the area around the building in the capital, Berne.
It is still not clear if the hostage takers were armed.
An official said a man had entered the building and hit a security man over the head.
Police spokeswoman Franziska Frey said: "We received information about a hostage seizure. I don't know any more right now."
Many foreign diplomatic missions are located in the affluent part of the city.
Spain launches immigrant amnesty
By Danny Wood BBC News, Madrid
The Spanish government is starting a process of granting legal amnesty to up to 800,000 undocumented immigrants.
The new rules apply to people living in Spain without legal residency or working papers.
The move is an attempt by Spain's Socialist government to manage the country's illegal immigration problem.
The authorities are preparing to deport a group of 227 suspected illegal migrants found on a boat drifting off the Canary Islands on Saturday.
For weeks all over Spain tens of thousands of people have been queuing at embassies and local councils to prepare their documents.
Residency
Now they have three months to submit their forms. Under the rules, an immigrant with a six-month work contract who is registered at the town hall and social security office is eligible for Spanish residency, the right to legally work and live in Spain.
The move is designed to ease Spain's illegal immigration problem. It will also bring in millions of euros of tax revenue up until now lost in the black market.
It is estimated that more than one million people live and work in Spain illegally. With out any legal status, they form the most vulnerable layer of Spanish society.
Thousands work in two of Spain's most important industries: agriculture and construction. But immigrant groups say this legal amnesty lacks flexibility and is not the way to solve Spain's immigration problems.
And already the government has been forced to change the rules for the agriculture sector. The sub-zero temperatures across Europe have damaged thousands of crops and shortened the harvest season in the south of Spain.
For that reason, the minister for work is allowing agricultural workers to apply for residency with three-month rather than six-month work contracts.
They assault consulate of Spain in Bern
Bern (Swiss), 7 feb (EFE). - A person today assaulted the Consulate of Spain in Bern and has taken like hostage to one or two people, said to EFE a civil employee of the consular mission.
The stranger entered 07h00 GMT after striking in the head an employee of the diplomatic legation that entered the building then, explained the diplomat Emilio Sanchez. It indicated that until the moment contact with the attacker by advice of the police of Bern has not settled down, that has surrounded the area bordering to the consulate.
Bump for later update. Now, back to sleep...
I imagine that once Spain surrendered to AQ, that they sent the signal they'd bend over for any group that uses sufficient violence to make a point. Socialists are such losers...
Apparent Hostage Situation in Spanish Consulate
Unknown persons have apparently taken several person hostages in the Spanish consulate. These are reports from Spanish and Berne radio. Spanish teletext is saying there is also an injured person. A consulate representative spoke of one or two hostages to the news agency Reuters.
After the report came in to the city police at 8.10, officials closed down a wide area surrounding the facility. The federation's hostage and extortion SWAT team of was said to have been activated.
Police spokeswoman Franziska Freyr said, when asked, that the event hadn't been classified as minor. An employee of the Spanish consulate said, when questioned bytelephone, that she couldn't give out any information.
Stand: 2-7-2005 10:41 U
"tagesschau.de".... Offenbar Geiselnahme in spanischem Konsulat
.....and, adding these paragraphs from "Spiegel"....
A Spanish diplomat was questioned by news station CNN about a possible terrorist background. He said that it didn’t look like it at the moment.
According to the reports on news station N24, an injured person has been taken away. The situation is quiet but very tense at the moment. According to other reports, sharpshooters have been moved in. Ambulances are at the scene.
"Spiegel"....Polizei umstellt spanisches Konsulat in Bern
Translated by longjack
mark for later
Reuters reports situation is over. Hostage taker has left. All personnel are safe.
Everyone back to your video games!!
According to the NZZ - the situation has been resolved with no bloodshed. According to the Spanish Foreign Minister, three people entered the building. No information regarding the reason for the attack.
The Spanish press has a report that the attackers may have been attempting to rob the consulate of passports and documents.
The move is an attempt by Spain's Socialist government to manage the country's illegal immigration problem.
I guess that's one way to solve an illegal immigrant problem - declare them legal...
Emboldened ETA?
There seems to be some amount of confusion....
the NZZ is now saying that the hostage situation may NOT be resolved - the Local Police have provided a conflicting report.
"The Press Speaker of the Canton Police Bern, Jürg Mosimann, said in cintradiction at 11.55 "To the best of our knowledge, the hostage situation has not yet ended." It is not clear whether or not the hostage takers are still in the building, said Mosimann."
I think ETA has never attacked out of Spain and France.
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