Gunman nabbed after holding 11 Elementary students hostage

This from MSNBC, photo from WMTW-TV:

Suspect taken into custody without any harm to the children, police say

STOCKTON SPRINGS, Maine - A gunman took 11 fifth-graders hostage at [Stockton Springs Elementary School] in Maine on Friday and was tackled by a state trooper shortly after releasing them.

Chief Deputy Robert Keating of the Waldo County Sheriff's Department said the students were safely removed from the school.

The gunman was identified as 55-year-old Randall Hofland, a man from nearby Searsport who fled police last week after pointing a gun at an officer when stopped for a seatbelt check...

Gov. John Baldacci plans to hold a news conference at 12:30 p.m. in Augusta to discuss this morning's arrest of a man who held 11 elementary school children hostage in Stockton Springs.

Police had been looking for Hofland since Oct. 23, when he pointed a gun at a Searsport police officer, police said.

Busload of students held hostage in Philippines

MSNBC.com reports:

Photo by Bullit Marquez / AP

A hostage gestures for a cell phone as a grenade is held close to her by a hostage-taker inside a bus in front of the Manila City Hall, on Wednesday, in the Philippines.

A man with a history of attention-grabbing stunts took a busload of students and teachers hostage from his day-care center and drove them to City Hall Wednesday, keeping them onboard for hours and demanding better lives for the children.