Nigerian Held In Canadian City For Hostage - Taking

PHOTO: ADENIRAN BEING ESCORTED BY CALGARY POLICE AFTER HIS ARREST.

A day after a man held a Calgary school secretary at knifepoint for two hours, police announced charges against a suspect.

Police said Friday that a Nigerian, Matthew Akani Adeniran, 25, has been charged with several offences, including forcible confinement, assault with a weapon, uttering threats, criminal harassment and possession of a weapon in connection to Thursday's hostage-taking at A.E. Cross Junior High School.

No one was injured in the incident, which happened just before 2 p.m. in the school office, as students filled the main gym for a pep rally featuring Olympic silver medallist Carolyn Darbyshire.

Contacted Friday, Adeniran's father said his son has been acting erratically for some time.

"At night he was talking to himself and mumbling," said Gabriel Adeniran. "He needs help, to be honest."

Darbyshire, a member of the Canadian women's curling team, has a son who attends the school and was about to go into the assembly when an agitated man entered the office.

The man demanded to see the school principal — then brandished a knife when he was told the principal wasn't available.

Darbyshire raced to the gymnasium to alert school authorities, while her husband stayed back to monitor the situation.

Darbyshire and the teachers started the pep rally as planned, trying to keep the students calm until police arrived.

As the tactical team entered the school and patrol officers surrounded the building, a staff member abruptly ended the rally. After a few minutes, officials evacuated the gym and bused the students to another nearby school.

Meanwhile, a tactical team member had entered the office, where he saw a man holding the secretary, Bonnie Grainger, at knifepoint.

The officer began talking to the man. Police said the hostage-taker was a former student at A.E. Cross who blames the principal for a sports injury he suffered 10 years ago.

What nobody knew in those first minutes was there was a student in the office when the hostage taking began: a 13-year-old boy who managed to hide in an inner office.

The boy's mother called 911 after he reached her using a phone inside the office. The boy was safe, but police had no way of phoning him back without alerting the hostage taker and putting him in danger.

After two hours, however, police negotiators convinced the man to free Grainger in exchange for a bottle of water.