Man with 'explosive rucksack' shot by police in busy city centre

Marksmen ended a tense three-hour stand off by shooting the 43-year-old man with rubber bullets before carrying out a controlled explosion on his bag, which was found not to contain a bomb.

The unidentified white man called police on his mobile at 9pm on Sunday, gave his location and claimed he was carrying an explosive device.

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Police in York immediately launched a major operation to evacuate bars, restaurants and homes within a 300 metre radius of Ouse Bridge in the heart of the historic city.

Senior officers decided to take no chances in case he posed a genuine threat.

He was seen walking up and down the empty bridge smoking a cigarette in sub-zero temperatures as police marksmen took up positions around the bridge.

Police negotiators tried in vain to get the man to turn himself in and they eventually used force to arrest him shortly before midnight.

An eye-witness said the would-be bomber was "enticed" to one end of the bridge with a cup of coffee and he was then shot with several baton rounds at 11.55pm.

Around six officers and police dogs ran over to him as he tried to get back up and he was taken to hospital by ambulance.

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A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said the man only suffered "minor" injuries from the rubber bullets and was taken to York District Hospital for treatment.

Yesterday he was transferred to a local police station to be questioned about the incident, which appeared to be a hoax. The man is from York but has not been named.

Chief Inspector Nick Warnes said: "No evidence of explosives was found. No one else is believed to have been involved and we believe there is no link to international terrorism." The Independent Police Complaints Commission has been called-in as a matter of routine.

Eye-witness Andrew Whitney said: "They enticed the man with a cup of coffee and then shot him with a rubber bullet in the neck or the shoulder. They then shot him again in the chest or the side.

"He went down but got back up again and they shot him again. He started to get up again. It took six policemen to take him down."

Local resident John Drewin watched the incident from an overlooking apartment building.

He said: "I had a marksman on the balcony. The police called the man across to give him a drink or something and then whacked him with a couple of bullets."

The man was not thought to have been wearing the rucksack when shot. The bomb disposal unit sent a robot device on to the bridge to carry out a controlled explosion.

Paul Healey, a local councillor, also witnessed the stand off from an apartment block. He praised the police for showing "restraint and courage" in dealing with the man.

"He was shouting at them that they weren't taking him seriously and to put their guns down and call the dogs off. It was getting very cold and the police were just waiting.

"I think they were waiting for the bomb disposal team to arrive because as soon as they had dragged him off the robot came out."