Man held after restaurant stand-off

The scene in Glasgow city centre after police evacuated the Amarone restaurant

Published: 7:30pm, 10th February 2012
Updated: 1:02am, 12th February 2012

A 38-year-old man is in custody after being arrested following an eight-hour stand-off with armed police at an Italian restaurant in Glasgow city centre.

Officers evacuated Amarone Restaurant and its surrounding buildings after being called to reports of a man "acting suspiciously" at around 3.45pm on Friday.

A number of roads around Nelson Mandela Place were also closed as specialist police negotiators, armed officers and a Royal Navy bomb disposal unit were dispatched to the scene.

Strathclyde Police confirmed the individual was detained at around 11.45pm after armed officers stormed the basement level restaurant. He was taken to hospital for check-ups, a force spokeswoman added.

Police said they were called to an "incident" at the eatery and evacuated both those inside and those occupying surrounding buildings as a "precaution".

The stand-off involved one man who was contained alone inside the premises, the force spokeswoman added. Negotiators had been speaking to the suspect over a megaphone at the scene before he was detained.

It is believed the incident is not terror-related.

Parts of Buchanan Street and West George Street were closed off by officers while Buchanan Street subway station was also shut down. Travellers were asked to use St Enoch station instead. Ambulance staff wearing helmets and fire crews were also called to the scene with police officers wearing balaclavas and carrying rifle bags seen by onlookers.

Just before the man was detained, three armed officers wearing all black made their way round the side of the building, gripping on to window ledges, before running into the restaurant shouting. No shots were fired.

Two police support units were ushered in through the cordon and five minutes later both drove off with their blue lights flashing.