Society

Hostage-taker detained, girls safe

Apr 22 (NHK) - Police in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, have taken a man into custody after he holed up inside a restaurant, holding two girls hostage. The two girls, aged 3 and 6, are unharmed.

The man in his 30s, armed with a knife, holed up on the third floor of the four-story building in Fukuoka City that houses both the grilled eel restaurant and its owner's home at around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Police say the hostage-taker, who was a former employee of the eatery, continued to demand that police call the owner. The two children are the owner's daughters.

Fukuoka Prefectural police say officers entered the building at around 2:30 p.m. and took the man into custody after they successfully persuaded him to release the hostages.

Investigative sources say the man and the owner were former classmates. The man reportedly had a problem with the owner.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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