Malaysian hostage crisis ends, 34 hostages safe

Police stormed in a local kindergarten on Thursday in Malaysia's Southern Johor state and gunned down a man who had held 30 children and four teachers hostage for several hours. State police chief, Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman, told reporters that the man was hit by a single shot in his head and was critically injured. "All the 30 children, aged between three and five years, and their four teachers are safe," he said. They were currently being examined for any injuries. The hostage-taker, said to be mentally deranged, had on Thursday morning trespassed the kindergarten with a machete and a hammer and threatened to kill the children. Failing to persuade the man to release the hostages, police shot teargas into the kindergarten compound and entered the building before firing shots at the man.