The man walked into the office at about 1 p.m., Maj. Michael
Hambrook of the New Hampshire State Police told CNN affiliate
WMUR-TV.
Hambrook and Clinton campaign officials said two people were
believed to be inside.
Shortly before 2 p.m., police officers were gathered across the
street from the office, some kneeling behind police cruisers with
guns drawn.
Witnesses described the man as in his 40s with salt-and-pepper
hair, WMUR reported.
A woman and her baby were released by the hostage-taker, the woman
told workers at a nearby business, according to the WMUR Web
site.
A witness, Lettie Tzizik, told WMUR she spoke to a woman shortly
after she was released from the office by the hostage-taker.
"A young woman with a 6-month or 8-month-old infant came rushing
into the store just in tears, and she said, 'You need to call 911.
A man has just walked into the Clinton office, opened his coat and
showed us a bomb strapped to his chest with duct tape,'" the Web
site reported.
Bill Shaheen, chairman of Clinton's New Hampshire campaign, told
WMUR that the people being held were volunteers.
"Hopefully, they're going to negotiate this so no one gets hurt,"
Shaheen said.
Clinton, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, is
in the Washington area.
She was scheduled to speak at 3 p.m. at a Democratic National
Committee event, but canceled the talk because of the situation,
DNC Chairman Howard Dean said. Watch Dean break the news ยป
"Unfortunately as some of you know, there is a hostage situation in
New Hampshire involving a Clinton campaign staff person," Dean told
those who had gathered for the event.
"The details are sketchy at this time, but understandably Senator
Clinton is now dealing with this very difficult problem and she is
not going to be able to join us today. And we will keep them in our
prayers and hope for a resolution to this situation in New
Hampshire."
Buildings close to the storefront campaign office on Main Street
were evacuated, including local campaign centers for Clinton's
Democratic presidential rivals, Sen. Barack Obama and former
senator John Edwards.
Cassandra Hamilton, who works in an office adjacent to the Clinton
office, told WMUR: "I walked out and I immediately started running,
and I saw that the road was blocked off. They told me run and keep
going."
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS...ice/index.html