Barcelona embassy hostage situation: Man arrested after 4 hour showdown
A MAN has been arrested in Barcelona after holding woman hostage for more than FOUR hours in the Mali consulate.
The woman was released, unharmed, at around 7.30pm (GMT) this evening. She was the wife of the Malian honorary consul.
The area around the Mali Consulate on Josep Tarradellas in the west of the city was sealed off this evening as teams of elite police officers tried to negotiate with the perpetrator.
Officers from the Special Intervention Group (Special Grup d'Intervencio), who work on rescue and anti-terror missions, and the National Police attended the scene.
Catalan police said the hostage-taker is a man originally from Mali.
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Officers rushed to the consulate in the Catalan capital after receiving a phone call from the consul, José Luis López Fernández, warning that his wife was being held inside at
Catalan police surrounded the building as they sought to negotiate with the man detaining her.
Police sources told Spanish newspaper El Pais the kidnapper demands his 'administrative situation' is resolved.
He was unarmed.