ROME, February 13 (RIA Novosti) - Five children were released on Wednesday several hours after a man armed with a box-cutting knife barricaded himself into a day-care centre in southern Italy.
National media said however that the siege was continuing and that some 15 children and two teachers were still inside the building in Italy's southernmost city of Reggio-Calabria.
Cristian Familiari, 35, entered the nursery school at around 11:00 a.m. (10:00 a.m. GMT) complaining that he had not seen his son for a long time, following a separation from his wife, Italy's AGI news agency said. His son is thought to be one of those children still being held.
The man demanded some 500,000 euros ($726,000) for the release of the hostages. He also demanded to speak to journalists, police said.
Negotiations with Familiari, involving the mayor of Reggio-Calabria, are underway.
