M4 motorway siege in Britain ends peacefully

A siege on the M4 motorway in Britain in which an armed man held his toddler son hostage has ended.

A siege on the M4 motorway in Britain in which an armed man held his toddler son hostage has ended.

Wearing only green underpants and long socks, he was seen leaving the van and handed over a child to a woman police officer.

He kissed the boy briefly before he was wrapped in a blanket then escorted to a police van.

The pair had been parked on the hard shoulder of the M4 between junctions 16 and 17 near Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, since Friday night following a custody dispute.

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One onlooker at the scene said the back door of the motor caravan opened with no apparent warning or increase in police activity.

"He walked about 10 paces away from the van and was met by what appeared to be a plain clothes policewoman. He then handed the boy over to the woman, and as he did so he kissed the boy on the cheek. A couple of other police officers put a blanket round the man and quite gently escorted him to a police van. The boy was taken to another van. There were also about a dozen armed police officers at a distance," the witness said.

It is understood police ordered the man to strip down to his underpants before coming out so he could not conceal any weapons.

PA