Canadian child killed in Cambodia hostage drama

Four masked gunmen killed a three-year-old Canadian child during a hostage stand-off at an international school in Cambodia today before police raided the building, freeing the dozens of remaining students and arresting the attackers.

The men stormed Siem Reap International School earlier today, seizing dozens of young children from several countries – also including Australia, Japan and Italy – and demanding money, weapons and a vehicle before police ended the stand-off, with witnesses reporting several shots fired.

The gunmen killed the child when authorities declined to meet all of their demands, and police then raided the building, Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said, quoting the deputy national police chief, Neth Savoeun.

“They also threatened to kill the children one by one. Then our forces decided to storm the school,” Khieu Kanharith said.

The victim was a three-year-old Canadian, Khieu Kanharith said, although that could not be immediately confirmed by Canadian Embassy officials.