Hostage situation shrouded in secrecy

Efforts to free a 5-year-old boy from a gunman in an underground bunker, where the man took him after killing the boy’s school bus driver, were shrouded in secrecy as the standoff in rural Alabama dragged on.

Police sources said the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team was leading negotiations aimed at securing the boy’s safe release.

However, FBI officials declined to comment.