CAME BACK five minutes ago from a long meeting in the other side of town, and when checking my blogreader I saw Cori Dauber commenting about this:

Three unidentified assailants seized the Spanish consulate in the Switzerland on Monday, taking three hostages who were later freed, authorities said.

The assailants wounded a security guard, who was then able to escape, said Juerg Mosimann, spokesman for Bern cantonal police. The other two hostages were later freed by police. The three assailants were still in the building but held no more hostages, he said.

"According to our latest information, the hostage situation still isn't over," said Mosimann. "The police are trying to make contact with them."

Three assailants — believed to be armed with knives and a handgun — stormed the consulate in the Swiss capital shortly before 8 a.m., police said.

Their nationalities were not immediately know and Spanish officials said robbery was likely their motive.

Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said none of the consulate's Spanish staff members were hurt, according to Spanish news agency Efe.

Conflicting reports on the Spanish press: apparently the situation is under control, but I'm not sure if there's still some "assailants" inside. It isn't clear either if the motive was robbery, though it seems likely. I mean, it doesn't matter what Foreign Minister Moratinos says, we already know he has a more than tortured relationship with reality. We will have to trust Swiss police over him, I'm afraid.

Alas, I don't have much time for this right now; it's 2.20 pm and I'm expected for a lunch meeting (yes, that's the usual time around here!). Will be back later, as soon as possible.

UPDATE. The motive is still not clear; apparently the intruders went straight to the safe, probably for blank visas and/or cash, so it could be a plain robbery. However it's not possible to know it at this point, since when Swiss police stormed in, the intruders had vanished. And, as I said, you cannot take Foreign Minister Moratinos at his word: when at 11.30 am he publicly announced that the standoff was over, Swiss police denied it; they didn't enter the building for a couple of hours still. Tortured relationship with reality indeed.