Man with grenade enters San Antonio archbishop's office

Hostage negotiators on the scene

June 28, 2000
Web posted at: 2:12 p.m. EDT (1812 GMT)

SAN ANTONIO (CNN) -- A man who said he had a hand grenade and may have been seeking help with an immigration problem entered the offices of San Antonio Roman Catholic Archbishop Patrick Flores on Wednesday, threatening to kill him, police said.

Hostage negotiators were at the scene, although authorities cautioned that it was not clear that the archbishop was being held hostage.

The incident took place on the third floor of the archdiocese headquarters building where Flores, 70, has his offices. Police said the archbishop and his secretary, Myrtle Sanchez, were inside. More than 2 1/2 hours later, Sanchez was released unharmed.

Earlier, another secretary escaped, activating a silent alarm that notified police.

"The initial call was that he was holding the archbishop hostage and may be armed with a hand grenade," city police department spokeswoman Sandy Gutierrez said.

Police evacuated about 100 people from the building. Some ran out screaming, one witness said. Dozens of officers surrounded the building.

"We're just hoping and praying that nothing happens," said Monsignor Terence Nolan, a spokesman for the archdiocese.

Nolan said the man confronted the archbishop on the ground floor and rode up the elevator with him, but that the receptionist does not remember seeing the man enter the building.

"I heard mention there was some question of immigration, and that seemed to be part of the discussion" between Flores and the man who confronted him, Nolan said.

If the issue is immigration, federal authorities would get involved.

"We do not have an identification of the suspect at this point," said FBI Special Agent Rene Salinas. "FBI resources are on standby, but the San Antonio Police Department has not yet asked for our assistance."

Reuters contributed to this report.

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San Antonio Police Department
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Archdiocese of San Antonio
Focus: Archbishop Patrick Flores

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