Man tempted down after Basel roof siege
A 31-year-old man who spent the last two days barricaded on the roof of a Basel building has finally been tempted down by rescuers.
The unidentified Swiss man, already known to local police for his psychiatric problems, had taken shelter on the building’s roof on Monday morning, refusing to come down, said a report on daily 20 Minuten. On Wednesday, the two-day siege was brought to an end and the man was taken down by the police, the paper said.
Traffic in the area close to Basel’s main station has been diverted as efforts continued to rescue him.
According to the reports, the man, perched on the roof, reacted aggressively to any effort to take him down, throwing objects and bricks at police officers trying to place a safety mattress on the ground.
Authorities feared he might fall off the building when overcome by fatigue and stopped supplying water and cigarettes. The paper said the man was unhurt.
Family members, psychologists and even a Buddhist monk had been summoned to the site to help with the rescue operation, the Corriere del Ticino reported.
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