Police adorned in riot gear accompanied by armed police officers began arriving at Leicester Square, London city center, around 9.00 pm this evening in response to a hostage crisis unfolding in Bella Italia restaurant.
The call is in response to “a man with a knife who is holding a woman against her will in a restaurant in Irving Street”
a Metropolitan police officer said.
The police have described the incident as domestic related and not terror related. The perpetrator is allegedly a former employee and is armed with a knife, according to police.
As the surrounding area is cordoned off by police, the officers have advised diners in near-by restaurants to remain indoors for their own safety.
Jordan Brown, a musician who was playing a small concert next door to the Italian restaurant said: “All of a sudden the police came around and said ‘please can we stop playing’. They Then kept us inside. We can’t leave. They’ve closed the road.”
“I’m looking at the situation from the first floor. All the guys (police) are in assault gear, ready to go.”
Police are currently attempting to quell the situation with an exchange of dialogue with the perpetrator.
“The police are talking through the windows of Bella Italia. There’s a lady talking to another lady, keeping her calm.”
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At approximately 10:45 p.m. the Metropolitan police announced on Twitter that the hostage crisis has been taken care of, ending without incident. No injuries have been reported. The tweet read: “The incident at a restaurant on Irving Street has now been resolved and a man has been detained by police. No reported injuries.”
