Malaysia:

Hammer-wielding man holds 30 children hostage

AgenciesPosted: Thu Jul 07 2011, 14:07 hrsKuala Lumpur=============================================================

A hammer-wielding Malaysian man, believed to be mentally deranged, took 30 kindergarten children and four teachers hostage today in Muar town in the southern Johor Bahru state.

The man reportedly told police negotiators to give him a gun or he would kill the kids.

He is believed to have calmed down after a local psychiatrist spoke to him outside the two-storey bungalow school.

"He is hungry now and wants some food," Dr Lau Keen See, the psychiatrist, said, adding that the man and the children were on the second floor.

While someone went to get the food, two Special Actions Forces trucks rolled into the compound.

Police has kept the media and the parents of the kids outside the compound so as not to spook the man.

The suspect has reportedly locked all the doors of the bungalow, reports said, adding that the incident began at 9.30 am local time. Two ambulances are on standby outside the kindergarten.

Police officers have been negotiating with the suspect for hours.

There are still no reports of any children being harm or injured. The police have barricaded the area.

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