Military police in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday shot dead a man, who hijacked a passenger bus and took at least 16 hostages. The police said all the hostages were freed after the shootout and no injuries were reported, according to BBC.
Footage from the scene showed one of the passengers fainting after she got out of the bus. Security forces surrounded the vehicle, which was stationary on a bridge connecting Rio with Niterói.
The suspect was also seen holding something similar to a petrol bomb in his hand earlier in the day as he leaned out of the open door of the bus. Local media reports claimed that it was unclear whether the man, who reportedly got onto the vehicle early on Tuesday, had made any demands.
After the man took hostages, military police tweeted that a special operations team was negotiating with him. “Our officers are trained and have great practical experience in this type of situations,” the police said.
This is not the first time a public bus in Rio has been hijacked. In 2000, a suspect stormed a passenger bus in an upscale neighbourhood of the city, which turned into a hour-long hijacking of bus, according to AFP. In 2006, another bus with passengers was held hostage for 10 hours, which ended with the suspect’s surrender.
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