Businessman gives up after Lisbon bomb standoff

An armed man who broke into the offices of Portugal's state RTP television yesterday threatening to kill himself surrendered …

An armed man who broke into the offices of Portugal's state RTP television yesterday threatening to kill himself surrendered after more than eight hours of tense talks, police said.

The businessman, Mr Manuel Subtil, who said he would blow himself up with a bomb he claimed to be carrying, wanted compensation for an RTP report of his activities that he said had ruined him.

Police confirmed that the man had been armed when he entered the offices together with his wife and two children. Earlier he let the children go.

The surrender came just minutes before a deadline set by the businessman for RTP to agree to his demands that included a payment of some 100 million escudos (£393,000). Police spoke of a "gentleman's agreement".

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The RTP programme was screened 10 years ago and included references to a company Mr Subtil operated in France. Using a hidden camera, it dealt with money being paid by would-be Portuguese emigrants to legalise their situation in France.

Early last year, Mr Subtil's wife won a ruling against RTP for damages, but RTP appealed and the case is still pending in Portugal's notoriously sluggish court system.