BERN, Feb 7 (AFP) - A security alert sparked when three armed men entered the Spanish consulate in Bern holding two people hostage for several hours appeared to be over Monday after Swiss security forces went into the building where they were holed up.
Swiss police started lifting a security cordon placed around the Spanish consulate in Bern's Kirchenfeld district 90 minutes after a dozen security force members had entered the building.
An AFP correspondent on the scene saw the elite marksmen, armoured vehicles and special forces unit withdraw from around the consulate.
Police had entered at 1:35 pm (1235 GMT) after the expiry of an ultimatum for the three to leave. Shortly afterwards, three people in plain clothes also went in.
Police refused to say whether the assailants, who held two people hostage for nearly three hours, had been arrested or had been able to escape.
Swiss police had received authorisation from the Spanish government to enter the consulate, the Spanish foreign ministry said.
A consulate employee who was stabbed and injured by a knife when the intruders got into the building shortly before 8:00 am (0700 GMT) was taken to hospital.
The seriousness of his injuries was not known, police spokesman Guido Balmer said earlier.
Confusion had surrounded the incident since reports began emerging that Swiss police had sealed off the Spanish consulate in the Swiss capital early in the day after a reported unconfirmed hostage-taking.
Police set up a crisis centre specialised in hostage-taking situations, a police spokeswoman said and Swiss radio reported that elite sharpshooters had been posted on buildings nearby.
Later, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said three people who sparked the alert by entering the consulate had intended to commit a burglary but had left the building.
The intruders forced their way into the building, injuring the security guard who had been taken to hospital, the minister told reporters.
No other staff at the consulate were hurt, he said, and the intruders had wanted to reach the consulate safe.
But Swiss police then promptly denied the men had left despite police orders, and local police in the capital confirmed in a written statement that three people, armed with a knife and a firearm were still inside.
An injured employee was able to escape and two other staff members held hostage by the intruders had been released by security forces, the statement added.
The Swiss ATS news agency said security forces delivered the three intruders an ultimatum at 1115 GMT, giving them 15 minutes to leave the building with their hands on their heads.
The order was given through a loud speaker in both German and Spanish, it reported, although Spanish officials said they appeared to speak French.
Consulate staff quoted by Switzerland's French-language Radio suisse romande said the intruders wanted to snatch passports or visa stamps which are sold on the black market for between 6,000 and 8,000 Swiss francs (4,000 to 6,000 euros, 5,000 dollars to 7,700 dollars).
The consulate has been the target of several break-in attempts, staff said.
02/07/2005 15:14 GMT - AFP