A madman assumed under the influence of various illegal boosters takes an entire electronics store hostage within the 6-U2M8 Oriki Commercial Center’s famous megamall, The Concourse.
BREAKING NEWS: Intense Hostage Situation Comes To A Close Aboard 6-U2M8 Oriki Commercial Center
Selenna Solange • YC121.05.25
6-U2M8, Syndicate - Approximately six hours ago, a young man entered the TekShak™ electronics retail store located on the 31st floor of The Concourse, a sprawling supermassive mall located in the heart of the 6-U2M8 Oriki Commercial Center. The man, identified as 33-year-old Syndicate native Sacha Aloumeart, then pulled out concealed weapons from his trenchcoat and fired a flurry of warning shots into the ceiling. He blocked all the exits with small explosive devices in case any of the customers inside tried to escape, and corralled the guests inside into the center of the store. Special Operations And Tactics (SOAP) forces shut down and evacuated The Concourse within an hour, and established a perimeter around the besieged TekShak™ store. Only thirty minutes ago has the hostage situation ended with no loss of life, and Sacha Aloumeart in custody.
Many details about the incident have yet to be announced by Oriki Commercial Center Chief Of Security Nagato Minskalo. What has been confirmed, however, is the fact that Aloumeart was under the influence of “various illegal and deeply mind altering boosters.” What is not clear is how Aloumeart managed to sneak in two semi-automatic weapons into The Concourse grounds without alerting the security system. Chief Minskalo has urged local news agencies to avoid the spread of rumors around this mystery, particularly that Aloumeart may have had an accomplice help him smuggle in the weapons.
Aloumeart managed to hold 57 people hostage within the TekShak™ store. I-RCN has managed to obtain various reports from those who witnessed the incident unfold. Apparently Aloumeart was acting distraught as he made his way to the TekShak™, mumbling to himself the entire time and looking on edge. As he began his siege on the store, witnesses outside reported hearing him yell about how “Triglavians are real!”, and “They are coming for us!” Upon gathering all the hostages together and binding their limbs with tape, Aloumeart proceeded to line the group with a plethora of audio devices set to various media broadcasts. He was apparently shouting “they are all lying to you, I know the truth and they [Triglavians] are coming for us all!”
After attempting to broker a peace for roughly six hours, SOAP forces finally had enough and sent in a stealth drone through the TekShak™’s air vent system after finally gaining access to it. The drone then fired stunning projectile at Aloumeart followed by launching a focused stasis webification grenade. SOAP squad members outside the store then bursted in and subdued the erratic Aloumeart before any harm could be done to the hostages he was “preaching” to.
Aloumeart did sustain numerous bruises and fractures due to the force with which SOAP teams handled the suspect. He is being treated for his injuries in a highly secure cell located within Kovonen Hospital aboard the 617I-I Tuulinen Observatory. He is reportedly under the custody of I-RED’s Internal Watch, an advanced security force provided by their contract with Oniseki-Raata Internal Watch [O-RIW]. Internal Watch is expected to interrogate him once he is deemed medically clear from the mind altering substances present in his system.
Meanwhile, hostages from the incident are being treated within local hospitals aboard the Oriki Commercial Center. A formal statement regarding the incident from the I-RED Directorship has been released just moments ago:
"The hostage situation aboard the Oriki Commercial Center has concluded with no loss of life thanks to the valiant and strategic decision making of the facility’s SOAP team. We are extremely fortunate the outcome of this frightening experience has been a relatively good one. The Concourse will remain closed for the next twelve hours while local security forces survey the grounds and gather evidence - we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. The safety of our employees, residents, guests, and visitors is paramount. We will ensure everything in our power that an incident such as this never happens again.
Meanwhile, we would like to urge calm regarding the outrageous claims this man made during the whole affair. While the Triglavian Collective is one of numerous emergent threats that have sprouted in recent times, their presence has been contained in the Abyss realm which they inhabit. They are mysterious and rather poorly understood. The claims by this deranged man have no substance."