Luxembourg hostage-taker shot at, kids freed

On the promise of the interview, the gunman was drawn to a spot where the police had a clear shot. "The idea was to simulate an interview," said Luxembourg Interior Minister Michel Wolter. "He wanted to address the whole world."

With policemen acting as cameramen and reporters, the man came out with the child in one hand and the grenade in the other. Wolter said this provided police with an opportunity. "He didn’t have a free hand to activate the grenade." The fake television crew then pulled weapons and shot him twice in the head. Police moved in and the hostages rushed out marking an end to a siege that had shocked this normally quiet corner of Europe. Violent crimes are rare in Luxembourg which lies between Belgium, Germany and France.

Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker said police were forced to take action when the man demanded to flee in a car with three children.

The hostage-taker, believed to be of Tunisian origin demanding safe passage to Libya, was later admitted to a local hospital and is said to be out od danger.

Meanwhile, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Friday criticised the use of police posing as reporters.

"The use of these tactics is very disturbing" said IFJ president Aidan White. "The consequences could be that in a genuine interview the lives of journalists could be put a risk."

"We think criminal cases should be dealt with properly," he said, "but not by passing police off as journalists." White said the IFJ and journalists in Luxembourg would look into the Wasserbiliig incident.