Bus hijacker frees hostages, threatens to kill ex-wife

dpa German Press Agency
Published: Friday November 10, 2006

Rio de Janeiro- An armed man hijacked a bus and held 20 people on board hostage for eight hours in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro Friday, authorities cited in Brazilian media said. By the afternoon, the man had let all hostages go except one - his ex-wife, whom he was threatening to kill, according to media reports.

The police said that the man, identified as Andre Ribeiro da Silva, was holding a gun to his ex-wife's head as he took a bus in the suburb of Nova Iguazu that carried more than 80 people. He apparently accused the woman of having betrayed him.

Passengers allowed to leave the vehicle said the hijacker hit his ex-wife and threatened to kill her and then commit suicide.

"For about 40 minutes, he was swinging his weapon from one side to the other, and we all threw ourselves on the floor for fear of a shot. The guy was tense, he said that his wife was shameless," a released hostage said.

Pastor Aarao de Oliveira, of the Pentecostal church to which Ribeiro da Silva belongs, said the man "did not accept the separation from his wife" and "lately had expressed his intention to do something crazy, to take his ex wife's life."

Following intense negotiations, the authorities convinced the man to free the 20 hostages in exchange for a further four people - including his mother, his sister and the pastor - who were trying to get him to turn himself in to the authorities.

The incident reminded Rio residents of another bus hijacking in June 2000, which ended with the deaths of the attacker and one female passenger.

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency