A gunman carrying
explosives who took a hostage in a Brasilia hotel has demanded
the extradition of Italian former leftwing terrorist Cesare
Battisti.
The gunman carrying several sticks of dynamite took a hotel
employee hostage and barricaded himself in one of the rooms.
Police have evacuated some 300 hotel guests, surrounded the
building, and sent negotiators to talk to the gunman, local
media reported.
Battisti has been sentenced in Italy to life in prison for
the murder of four people in the 1970s when he was part of an
extremist left-wing group.
The Brazilian Supreme Court voted in June 2011 not
extradite him and to uphold a decision by Brazilian ex-president
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the grounds that Battisti would
face "political persecution" in Italy.
It was da Silva's last act as president on January 1, 2011.
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