Armed bank robber holds 15 people hostage

A bank robber armed with hand grenades and a gun surrendered after holding customers hostage in the Greek port of Piraeus yesterday.

The man initially held around 15 people and gradually released most of them, keeping three for several hours as police hostage negotiators tried to persuade him to give himself up.

At one point, the gunman fired about four times, but they were apparently warning shots and police said there were no injuries.

Police had earlier arrested two suspects outside the bank who were believed to have been acting as lookouts during the attempted robbery.

Armed robberies in banks are common in Greece, particularly in Athens and the country’s second largest city of Thessaloniki.