Bank siege gunman was ‘drunk’ and had fake firearm

A gunman who took 15 people hostage in a three-hour siege in a bank near Heathrow airport was drunk and wielding an imitation weapon, it emerged today.

The man, who lives locally and is in his thirties, was being questioned by police after the siege at Barclays in Ashford.

Hostages were ordered to put on identical white forensic-style suits in an apparent effort to confuse police. The gunman also ordered staff to spray paint the windows black to prevent police seeing in.

Detectives were today questioning the man and investigating his background. Police sources said they were trying to establish a motive for the incident. Insiders played down suggestions that the man had a grievance against Barclays.

A Surrey police spokesman confirmed that they had recovered an imitation weapon, apparently a fake sawn-off shotgun.

Youth pastor Dan Beedell, one of about 15 people inside the branch when the gunman stormed in with an apparent sawn-off shotgun at 4pm yesterday, said: "When he had the gun at the back of my head, I wasn't panicking, I wasn't thinking I'm going to die."

He added: "Although it was a tough and traumatic experience, no one was physically hurt and each of us get to get on with our lives."

At one point the man offered the hostages cigarettes and alcohol because he wanted them to be "calm and relaxed". After about three hours, the man asked the bank manager to open the doors and some hostages were let out.