London Workers Held Hostage in Bomb Threat

Man arrested in apparent suicide bombing attempt
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 27, 2012 9:46 AM CDT
London Workers Held Hostage in Bomb Threat
Armed police prepare guns outside a building near Tottenham Court Road in central London, Friday, April 27, 2012.   (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

A man has been arrested in an apparent hostage situation in central London that prompted an evacuation and the closing of a major thoroughfare. Police were called to Tottenham Court Road after office equipment was hurled from the fifth floor of an office building, the BBC reports. A man carrying explosives had reportedly entered the building and taken four hostages. He ordered workers to "throw computers from the window," according to an official email.

"It appears at this stage that the man either has mental health problems or has a personal grievance against a company," a police source tells the Telegraph. A worker who escaped after saying she was pregnant said the man was "one of our previous customers, but he's not quite mentally stable ... He said he doesn't care about his life, he doesn't care about anything, he's going to blow up everybody." Reports said the man, named Michael Green, had failed a training course in the office multiple times and wanted a refund. (More London stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X