Suicidal gunman takes girl hostage

The 50-year-old man killed himself after holding the girl captive in an armed siege in Dingwall, Ross-shire, in Scotland.

Officers negotiated the girl's safe release after several hours of talks. She is believed to have been known to the gunman but was not related.

Police launched a major operation at around 10pm on Tuesday night after receiving an emergency call from Beauly saying a child had been snatched by a man with a firearm.

The man was traced to nearby Dingwall where armed police sealed off the area and opened talks with him. At around 1am, they managed to persuade him to release the child; at 4.20am he killed himself.

A police spokesman said: "Police responded to a 999 call from Beauly at 10pm on Tuesday, which reported a disturbance involving the abduction of a child by a man suspected to be in possession of a firearm, who had threatened self-harm.

"Police traced the man to the area of Ferry Road in Dingwall and cordoned off the vicinity.

"Following negotiations, the safe release of the child hostage was secured around 1am today.

"In spite of further lengthy negotiations and police efforts to resolve the incident peacefully, the 50-year-old man took his own life at around 4.20am."

Yesterday family liaison officers were with the girl's family and relatives of the dead gunman.

A police spokesman said both families, had been through an extremely traumatic ordeal.

On Tuesday night thousands of football supporters were in Dingwall, 12 miles from Inverness, to watch home team Ross County beat Hibernian in the Scottish Cup at Victoria Park, next to Ferry Road.

The siege is understood to have happened towards the opposite end of the street.