Police had been alerted to the robbery at a branch in Greece's main port of Piraeus, and arrived while it was still under way, regional police chief Grigoris Balakos said. Two suspects were arrested as they attempted to flee, but one remained inside, taking staff and customers hostage.
Authorities sent a special police unit and hostage negotiators to the site, and the gunman gradually released most of his hostages. He eventually surrendered to police after several hours. Although the hostage-taker at one point fired several shots, they appeared to have been warning shots and police said there were no injuries.
Balakos said two of the suspects were Greek and one was a foreigner. He did not elaborate.
Armed robberies in banks are common in Greece, particularly in Athens and the country's second largest city of Thessaloniki, but they rarely lead to hostage situations.
