Man with rifle nabbed outside Greek parliament, no one hurt

Police in Greece have arrested a 37-year-old man carrying a hunting rifle in front of the country’s parliament building, after a brief standoff with members of a police tactical unit.

An officer from the greater Athens police department told the Associated Press that the pre-dawn incident Tuesday lasted a little over an hour, and that no one was injured.

The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity pending an official announcement, said police negotiators were involved in the incident and that traffic around the parliament building had been re-directed shortly before the man was apprehended.

The suspect, who was detained for questioning, was not named in accordance with Greek law and was identified only as a 37-year-old Greek man. State-run television said the man sat on a mat in front of a parliament guard post before tactical unit officers moved in.

It was the second security incident at parliament in the last seven months.

Last October, a 58-year-old man was arrested after driving a pickup truck onto a sidewalk in front of parliament. Police removed a heating gas canister and an empty gasoline container from the truck. [AP]