After a fifty-four minute standoff involving a hostage situation and extensive evacuations of several city blocks in downtown Tofino, a woman strapped with an explosive belt was taken into custody by authorities. Negotiators talked the would-be bomber out of the train, where she voluntarily surrendered and was taken to a secure site for the device to be removed. President Bishop praised police, special forces, and negotiators for their delicate and precise handling of the what could have been an otherwise disastrous terror attack in the heart of Zamastan's capital.
At 7:09 AM, reports of 911 calls from a train arriving at Tofino's 46th and Bain Street Terminal - one of the 23 green line terminals in the city - with a woman yelling at passengers to stay put or she would detonate her suicide vest. As the train rolled into the underground station at 3:11, SWAT and police on scene were able to evacuate 6 of 7 cars, the second to last cabin where the terrorist and her hostages sat at their chairs. For 54 minutes, the negotiators who had arrived as soon as it became clear the situation was escalating, were able to secure the release of 23 people - half of the civilians on board the car. It was soon evident that the woman was uneasy, shaking, and substantially nervous about carrying out the attack fully in an act that would've taken her own life, and the chief negotiator on-site (who asked to remain anonymous for safety concerns) attributes this to her eventual surrender. All hostages were allowed to leave the scene, and the would-be terrorist was arrested.
The bomber, a woman by the name of Panama L'uih, was identified as a Zamastanian citizen, and the Zamastanian State Department said L'uih had a residence in Arinals, which is directly across the bay from Tofino and linked via the metro line. She had also made two interesting trips under the circumstance of her apparent low-income and slightly below the poverty-line living standard; one to Trive, where she rented a hotel room in the capital for a total of five nights over a two week period back in April, and one trip to Xiomera.
The bomb strapped to her waist was crude and homemade, but experts familiar with the incident say that it would have been powerful enough to destroy at least the back half of the train and a partial collapse of the tunnel system containing the green line. The device was a belt with three metal canisters (identified to be beer cans) filled with nails, steel balls, screws, and other little metal and plastic pieces, which would've created massive shrapnel spray.
At the moment of President Bishop's press announcement at 9:30AM, it is believed that Panama L'uih was not a lone wolf and that at least two other people are suspected as terrorist confidants. Police are withholding the names of the suspects at this time, but will reveal them to the public when necessary. The State Department assured the public that there is no need to worry about any impending attack, though the Tofino metro will remain closed for at least the remainder of Friday. The terror level in Zamastan will remain at level 3 out of 5 due to the continued threat.