Jose Miranda, right, a 50-year-old farmer and his 17-year-old son, center, are taken into custody after elite forces ended a hostage situation through negotiation in Guazapa, El Salvador, Sunday July 31, 2011. (AP Photo/Oscar Leiva)
Police in El Salvador say a farmer and his son held 30 people hostage for several hours at an evangelical church north of the Central American country's capital.
National Civil Police Director Carlos Ascencio says 50-year-old Jose Miranda and his 17-year-old son stormed into the Temple of God church early Sunday with M16 rifles. The parishioners in Guzapa were holding a traditional vigil at the church.
Agents persuaded Miranda to free the last hostages around dawn. His motives remain unclear. But as he was being led away from the church to police vehicles, Miranda told reporters he had been motivated by injustices and said one of his daughters had recently been jailed.
SOURCE: The Associated Press
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