Policeman injured as gunmen hijack bus

Three gunmen hijacked a regional bus in northern Italy today and set it on fire after freeing the passengers, officials said.

An off-duty police officer was reportedly injured.

The bus was travelling south from Alessandria to Acqui Terme, cities south-west of Milan, when the gunmen took it over and forced the driver to turn off the highway and onto a state road heading in the opposite direction, a carabinieri official in nearby Novara said.

An off-duty police officer who was on board tried to intervene and was stabbed, but was not in serious condition, the ANSA news agency said.

The gunmen allowed the passengers to get off when the bus reached Alessandria again, but then forced the driver to keep going before the bus came to a stop near Trecate, on the outskirts of Novara farther to the north, Sky TG24 reported from the scene.

There was an exchange of fire and the gunmen set the bus on fire before fleeing, the carabinieri official said.

One of the gunmen was apprehended and authorities were seeking the other two, the official said.

The official, who declined to give his name, said the gunman who was apprehended was being treated for an unspecified injury.