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November 30, 2007
Armed Man Holding Two Hostages At Hillary Clinton
What in the world is happening... Yardflex came across this story on mtv.com An unknown, armed man went into presidential-hopeful Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign office in Rochester, New Hampshire, on Friday afternoon (November 30), with what appeared to be a bomb strapped to his chest, according to CNN. Two campaign workers are reportedly being held hostage inside Clinton's office, and police snipers and cruisers have surrounded the premises in an attempt to negotiate with the man, who is described as in his 40s. Clinton is currently in the Washington, D.C., area. "We are in close contact with state and local authorities and are acting at their direction," Clinton said in a statement, according to The Associated Press. "We will release additional details as appropriate."
CNN reports that police were called to the office at about 1 p.m. and surrounded the offices by 2 p.m. A woman and her baby were said to have been released by the hostage-taker, and one witness, Lettie Tzizik, told the news outlet she had spoken with the woman soon after she was released and fled for cover in a nearby store.
A young woman with a 6-month- or 8-month-old infant came rushing into the store just in tears, and she said, "You need to call 911," Tzizik said. "A man has just walked into the Clinton office, opened his coat and showed us a bomb strapped to his chest with duct tape."
Clinton, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, was set to deliver a speech at 3 p.m. during a Democratic National Committee event. She canceled that appearance because of the hostage situation.
"Unfortunately as some of you know, there is a hostage situation in New Hampshire involving a Clinton campaign staff person," DNC Chairman Howard Dean told those who were in attendance for the event. "The
details are sketchy at this time, but understandably Senator Clinton is now dealing with this very difficult problem and she is not going to be able to join us today. And we will keep them in our prayers
and hope for a resolution to this situation in New Hampshire."
According to CNN, the nearby campaign office of Senator Barack Obama, another Democrat seeking his party's nomination, was locked down as a precautionary measure. The offices of former senator and Democratic
candidate John Edwards were also closed.