Job centre knifeman takes workers hostage in Newcastle
Written by News on 10/06/2017
A knifeman who took members of staff hostage at a job centre has been arrested, police say.
Officers were called at 8am on Friday following reports of a disturbance in Byker, Newcastle.
They said the man entered the building and "several" workers were being held.
Armed police along with specialist negotiators were at the scene, and nearby roads and Byker Metro station were closed as a precaution.
The staff were later released as experts spoke to the man, who is believed to be known to the job centre.
Bomb squad officers were also at the site in a precautionary move amid reports he could have had an explosive device.
There were no reports of any injuries and the incident was not treated as terror-related.
(c) Sky News 2017: Job centre knifeman takes workers hostage in Newcastle
