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Hostage Crisis Ends in Luxembourg
Police posing as journalists shot and critically wounded a hostage-taker holding a child and a grenade Thursday, freeing 25 children and three teachers held captive during a 30-hour standoff.
The children, hugging dolls and cradled in their parents' arms, returned home safely after the ordeal. None of the hostages was injured.
On the promise of the interview, the gunman was drawn to a spot where the police had a clear shot. ''The idea was to simulate an interview,'' said Luxembourg Interior Minister Michel Wolter. ''He wanted to address the whole world.''
With policemen acting as cameramen and reporters, the man came out with the child in one hand and the grenade in the other. Wolter said this provided police with an opportunity. ''He didn't have a free hand to activate the grenade.'' The fake television crew then pulled weapons and shot him twice in the head. Police moved in and the hostages rushed out, marking an end to a siege that had shocked this normally quiet corner of Europe. Violent crimes are rare in Luxembourg, which lies between Belgium, Germany and France.
Neither the interior minister nor Radio Television Luxembourg would confirm reports that the gun was concealed in a fake camera.
Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker said police were forced to take action when the man demanded to flee in a car with three children.
Juncker said the man, whose identity was not released by police, was in serious condition in a Luxembourg hospital.
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