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Bella Italia hostage situation

Dramatic video shows armed police storming London restaurant where woman was held hostage

Footage shows the moment when police stormed Bella Italia, a restaurant in London’s West End, to free a waitress and two diners allegedly held hostage by a man armed with a knife.

Ryan Ramgobin @ryanramgobin

Thursday 25 February 2016 16:12

Dramatic video captured the moment when police stormed a London restaurant where a woman and two diners were allegedly held hostage by a man armed with a knife.

The incident took place at Bella Italia in Leicester Square at around 8.50pm on Wednesday evening.

It has been reported the suspect was a waiter at the restaurant who armed himself with a knife from the kitchen after an argument with a waitress.

Diners and staff fled the restaurant before the suspect locked the door, trapping the waitress and a middle-aged couple inside.

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The stand-off continued for two hours before police stormed the restaurant and detained the suspect.

The Metropolitan Police reported there were no injuries.

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