Migration service officers taken hostage at Moscow storehouse

5 Aug, 2009 10:31 / Updated 15 years ago

A standoff between federal migration officers and private security personnel has occurred in Moscow’s east. Eight federal migration service officers were taken hostage.

The officers were performing a routine inspection at one of the food storage facilities in the eastern part of the capital. The hostages were threatened with being shut inside a freezer.

Konstantin Poltoranin from the Federal Migration Service has given RT the details of the incident.

“Federal Migration Service officers, accompanied by the Federal Security Services and local policemen, were performing a routine check of a food storage facility. As usual, they were unarmed. But when they detected eight illegal immigrants, the security personnel at the facility tried to prevent the officers from continuing their work."

According to Poltoranin, they were locked in one of the hangars and even threatened to be locked inside one of the refrigerator facilities.

"Arriving on the scene, police backup also faced resistance. Later, all the officers were released.Currently, an investigation team is working at the scene. It will determine later whether any charges will be brought against the security company or the facility’s owner. All the illegal immigrants have been taken to a local police station,” Poltoranin said.