United Kingdom: June 9 hostage situation resolved /update 1

Event

The hostage situation which took place at a job center in Newcastle on the morning of Friday, June 9, has been resolved without casualties. The hostages, all staff at the job center, were released by 10:30 (local time). The nearby Byker Metro Station, which had been closed as a precaution, has been reopened, along with previously cordoned-off zones.

Context

A man armed with a knife entered a job center on Clifford Street in the Byker ward and held several members of the staff hostage. The police arrived on the scene around 08:00 (local time) and negotiations between the assailant and police took place until 10:30. The motive is still unclear.

This incident occured in a very tense context with recent terrorist attacks in London on June 3 and in Manchester on May 22, and comes the day after general elections (June 8).