Armed man in UK Tel Aviv Embassy
Tel Aviv is situated in the north of Israel
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Thursday, 31, Aug 2006 07:41
A suicidal armed man has got into the British Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Details are sketchy but it appears that a man with a pistol got into the compound car park early this afternoon.
Reports suggest that the man was threatening to kill himself and Israeli police were called to the scene.
A Foreign Office spokesman was unable to immediately provide any more details about the incident but confirmed that the man was in the car park. Israeli security forces are surrounding the embassy, according to media reports.
Local media reports suggest that the man is of Palestinian descent and was demanding to get asylum in the UK.
The man, as yet unnamed, claims he is a former informer for the Israeli security services. Observers have suggested that the man was being pursued by Palestinian groups angry at his informing past following the refusal of Israeli authorities to provide him with adequate protection.
The British embassy is located on Tel Aviv's seafront and is subject to strict security procedures, with visitors normally comprehensively searched.