Siege ends as hostage is released

A gunman reported to have a bomb strapped to his waist held a woman hostage at an American Express office in the West End today.

During a tense, five-hour stand-off, armed police surrounded the office in the Haymarket as hundreds of people were evacuated from the Amex building itself and other nearby offices and shops, and much of central London traffic ground to a halt.

The gunman was described as being of Middle Eastern appearance and initially there were fears the incident was connected to terrorism. However, police said later that his motive was robbery and they had been alerted when staff triggered an alarm in the building.

For five hours he held the 34-yearold manageress at gunpoint, during which time, police said, the woman managed to establish a rapport with her captor while trained Met negotiators attempted to gain her release. He eventually gave himself up, and was "quite calm", police said.

The drama began at 10am when the man walked into the office armed with a small handgun.

Ambulances and fire crews went to the scene as armed officers surrounded the building and a police helicopter hovered overhead.

The breakthrough came at 2.45pm when the hostage was allowed to walk free "shaken and frightened" but unhurt.

Around 20 minutes later the gunman surrendered to police and was led out of the building in handcuffs. Commander Richard Bryan speaking from the scene said: "The hostage was released following long negotiations. She is safe and well but very shaken.

"She's had quite an ordeal. "What I can confirm is it seems the man's motive was robbery.

"The man has been taken to a west Lonodn police station. This was a highly successful conclusion."

The woman said afterwards: "I am very pleased its all over. I am looking forward to getting home tonight. He treated me very well under the circumstances - it could have been a lot worse."

The woman, who did not want to be named, added: "I just want to get back to normal. I'll get back to work as soon as I can."

The Haymarket and surrounding streets including parts of Piccadilly, Charing Cross Road and Shaftesbury Avenue were closed during the siege, causing major congestion in central London.

Fole Mustapha, general manager at Pret a Manger which is directly opposite the American Express branch, said her staff were "very frightened" and had been told not to leave the shop.

"While we were on the shop floor, we could see about 20 or 30 police men in bullet proof vests.

An employee at the Criterion Grill, which overlooks the back of the Amex, said: "We were told that we can't leave the restuarant and everything has been roped off. The police have told us that there is a hold-up situation at the American Express building and guns are involved."

It is the second case in a few weeks when someone has claimed they had a bomb strapped to them to carry out a raid. Recently a man walked into a Barclays Bank branch in Kensington High Street claiming he had a bomb under his jacket. He escaped empty handed after a chase. The possibility of a suicide bomber striking in London remains the biggest fear of Yard anti-terrorist chiefs at present.