Three men
have been detained after taking a man hostage in an apartment in the
Belgian city of Ghent today, sparking fears the siege could be linked to
terrorism.
Police
have taken the men into custody - who left the building with their
hands up - and the hostage has now been released unharmed.
It
was still unclear why the men had taken the hostage but it was not an
act of terror, federal police spokeswoman Annemie Serlippens said.
'There appears to be nothing political,' she said.
The
incident sparked fears it could be linked to terrorism, occurring hours
after police in Australia locked down the centre of Sydney after an
Islamist fanatic took numerous hostages in a cafe.
The
siege in the Dampoort district in Ghent ended at around 1pm when armed
police in balaclavas emerged from the cordoned-off building and began
reopening roads - with one saying: 'It's over'.
Witnesses reported seeing the men carrying Kalashnikovs, but no weapons have been recovered by police yet.
A suspected hostage-taker, left,
surrenders to police after four armed men invaded an apartment in the
Belgian town of Ghent today
Police officers and special forces stand at the entrance of a building, where four gunmen took a man hostage
According to news reports, four armed men invaded an apartment in the Pilorijnstraat this morning
It was still unclear why the men had
taken the hostage, who has now been released unharmed, but it was not an
act of terror, say officials
The siege ended as armed police stormed the building and three men emerged with their hands up
Belgian broadcaster VRT reported neighbours claiming that the
flat had been used by drug dealers.
A
spokeswoman for state prosecutors said witnesses had reported the men
were carrying Kalashnikovs - but none have been found yet.
She said: 'Three men have been taken away though there were no weapons
found
'It's over,' one police officer said, as police in balaclavas came out of the building at around 1pm
'It's over,' one police officer said, as police in balaclavas came out of the building at around 1pm
Witnesses had reported the men carried Kalashnikovs but no weapons were recovered from the building
Belgian broadcaster VRT reported neighbours claiming that theflat had been used by drug dealers
'There appears to be nothing political,' said federal police spokeswoman Annemie Serlippens
Special police forces prepare to invade the apartment, where a man was taken hostage this morning
Four armed men stormed an apartment in the
Belgian city of Ghent and police believe they have taken a hostage.
Pictured, a member of the special forces police installs equipment on a
van
The incident sparked fears the siege may
be terror-related coming so soon after an Islamist fanatic took a number
of hostages in a Sydney cafe today
But a police source said they believed the
incident to be drug-related. They said: 'There is no indication that
this is anything to do with terrorism. This is possibly related to
drugs'
Reporters at the scene said three people had surrendered without violence, but it was not clear if they were suspects
Police near the Pilorijnstraat after four armed men invaded an apartment in the Pilorijnstraat, near Ghent
A federal police spokeswoman Annemie
Serlippens added: 'There appears to be nothing political. And it does
not seem to be going that way'
A police helicopter flying above Ghent Dampoort as men stormed an apartment while the siege in Sydney continues
This morning, head of Ghent police Filip Rasschaert told De Standaard that
federal authorities were taking control of the situation and added they
were carrying out the operation carefully because of the potential
involvement of a hostage.
'They have all they need to bring a successful end to a hostage-taking,' he said.
'There is information that a hostage might have been taken, so we err on the side of caution.'
Earlier today, police spokesman Manuel Mugica Gonzalez said: 'Four armed men invaded an apartment building.
'They're in the building but it is not clear what is happening inside.
'We have set up a security zone and asked residents to stay indoors for their own safety.'
By
mid-morning, a big police operation had been set up in the
working-class neighborhood to keep bystanders away from the scene.
It is the second time in six weeks time there has been hostage situation in Ghent.
On October 23, a man was taken hostage on the top floor of an apartment building at Charles de Kerchovelaan over an unpaid debt.
s
Special forces police guard a street in Ghent. Local reporters say police believe the incident is drug-related
Four armed men stormed an apartment in
the Belgian city of Ghent and police believe they have taken a hostage.
Pictured, police at the scene in the Pilorijnstraat
Four armed men stormed an apartment in
the Belgian city of Ghent and police believe they have taken a hostage.
Pictured, police at the scene
The incident has sparked fears the
siege may be terror-related coming so soon after an Islamist fanatic
took hostages in Sydney cafe today
Head of Ghent police Filip Rasschaert told De Standaard that federal authorities were taking control of the situation
It is the second time in six weeks
time there has been hostage situation in the northern Belgian city.
Pictured, a police helicopter can be seen flying overhead
On October 23, a man was taken hostage on the top floor of an apartment building at Charles de Kerchovelaan over an unpaid debt
A wide perimeter around the scene in
the Dampoort area of the city has been blocked off and police have urged
residents to remain indoors
He added they were carrying out the operation carefully because of the potential involvement of a hostage