Hostages at Clinton Office

Uncle LeoUncle Leo Posts: 1,059
edited November 2007 in A Moving Train
http://news.yahoo.com/s/wcvb/20071130/lo_wcvb/14737866

A man claiming to have a bomb took two workers hostage Friday at a Hillary Clinton presidential campaign office in New Hampshire for about two hours before releasing them unharmed.

ADVERTISEMENT


The man had what appeared to be a bomb strapped to himself when he walked inside the Democrat's office at about 1 p.m. Friday at 28 North Main St. in Rochester, according to Bill Shaheen, a top state campaign official.

Two campaign workers and a woman and child were inside the office at the time. The hostage-taker, described as a man in his 40s with salt-and-pepper hair, ordered the workers to the ground and let the woman and child out of the building.

"A young woman with a 6-month or 8-month-old infant came rushing into the store just in tears, and she said, 'You need to call 911. A man has just walked into the Clinton office, opened his coat and showed us a bomb strapped to his chest with duct tape," witness Lettie Tzizik said.

The two campaign workers were released unharmed at about 3 p.m., according to a police officer. The hostage-taker remained inside the building. The man is a well-known local man with history of emotional issues, according to ABC News, who reported that the man told his son to watch the news.

Clinton, who is not in New Hampshire, was attending a National Democratic Committee meeting in Virginia, where she canceled her address because of the hostage situation.

"There is an ongoing situation in our Rochester, N.H. office. We are in close contact with state and local authorities and are acting at their direction," an official from Clinton's campaign said in statement.

During the situation, several police officers were positioned across the street from the office with guns drawn.

"There are sharp shooters on the roof, and police are negotiating with someone in the building," said another witness, who did not want to be identified. "The police are notifying all the business owners on the street to evacuate. There are fire trucks behind the Hillary Clinton office."

"I walked out and I immediately started running, and I saw that the road was blocked off. They told me run and keep going," said Cassandra Hamilton, who works in an office adjacent to the building.

Nearby businesses were evacuated, and the St. Elizabeth Seaton School has been locked down. Several elementary and middle schools in the area also locked their doors in what officials called a "soft lockdown." Children at the McLelland School, Maple Street School and William Allen School were only being released directly to their parents.

"We are all disappointed that this would happen in our city. We are a quiet, friendly city," Rochester Mayor John Larochelle.

Presidential candidate Barack Obama also has an office in Rochester, and it has been evacuated. Staff members in John Edwards' office, which is a few buildings away, were also evacuated. There were no reports of any injuries.

NewsCenter 5 and TheBostonChannel.com will have more information when it becomes available.
I cannot come up with a new sig till I get this egg off my face.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Uncle LeoUncle Leo Posts: 1,059
    My apologies. Did not see that this had been posted. Ignore and post on the other one.
    I cannot come up with a new sig till I get this egg off my face.
  • Bu2Bu2 Posts: 1,693
    Same with mine. My post, I mean.

    Carry on.
    Feels Good Inc.
Sign In or Register to comment.