Police 'closing the net' on Raoul MoatTwo-mile exclusion zone around village of Rothbury'Hostage situation' ends in two arrests

11.18am:

Northumbria police have postponed a press conference on the state of the hunt for Raoul Moat until 11.30am.

Earlier this morning officers raided a flat in flat in Wrekenton, Gateshead, while police also investigated reports of an armed robbery on a fish and chip shop in the area last night.

Northumbria police said a 6ft tall white man aged about 35 with a muscular build and short sandy-coloured hair pulled out a gun last night in the shop near Blyth – around 10 miles north of Newcastle – before escaping with some cash, as details emerged of a 49-page letter Moat reportedly wrote to police.

Last night police revealed details of a black Lexus IS200 SE saloon car, registration V322 HKX, believed to be associated with Moat. It is described as having a full body kit and two regular alloy wheels and two "space saver" thin wheels. It does not belong to him but to an associate.

This graphic shows the key locations in the hunt for Moat so far.

Follow the latest police updates from the press conference here.

11.25am:

Just before the press conference is due to begin, some breaking news: police have set up a two mile exclusion zone in the Rothbury area of Northumberland.

Residents have advised people to stay indoors by Northumbria police.



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11.33am:

My colleague Rob Booth has more on the Rothbury exclusion zone.

Police have thrown a two mile exclusion zone around the village of Rothbury in Northumbria, in connection with the four day hunt for Raoul Moat. They have also found the black Lexus they have been hunting on the outskirts of the village. "As a precautionary measure we are closing down a geographic area near Rothbury," said a spokesman for Northumbria Police. "This is a two-mile exclusion zone on the ground. In addition there is a five mile, 5,000 feet air exclusion zone." The police advised members of the public to stay indoors and advised people not to travel to the area.

11.28am:

Matthew Weaver has prepared this clickable Google map showing some of the key areas in Northumbria police's hunt for Raoul Moat, including the two-mile exclusion which officers have just set up in Rothbury.

11.38am:

Here's Northumbria police's statement on the exclusion zone.

The force has also enforced a "five-mile, 5,000 feet air exclusion zone", in the area, which would appear to be to keep press helicopters out of the area.

I'm watching BBC news, from where it doesn't appear to have worked.

11.44am:

The press conference is beginning.

Police say they can now reveal they have been dealing with a "hostage situation".

11.46am:

We have been dealing with a "complex, fast moving and challenging hostage situation", Detective Chief Superintendent Adamson said.

After recovering the Lexus, police arrested two men, both believed to have been taken hostage by Moat, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder.

Moat is still at large, but police are "closing the net".

11.47am:

Police now confirming the details of the exclusion zone we revealed a few minutes ago.

Members of the public in the area are advised to remain indoors.

11.49am:

The chief constable is asked if she believes Roaul Moat is in Rothbury.

Det Chief Supt Neil Adamson answers, saying they have reason to.

He says he is not allowed to discuss the two people arrested, but says they are "well". They have been arrested in connection with the three shootings.

11.51am:

Adamson says people "may still" be harbouring Moat.

He says "there is no reason at this stage" to link the fish and chip shop robbery to Moat.

11.53am:

There were reports of a fast response ambulance in the Rothbury area. Was anyone injured?, Adamson is asked.

He is not aware of it.

11.54am:

Adamson says there is a "huge amount of effort" going on behind the scenes. There is an "awful lot" happening, he wants to stress, but "cannot explain, for obvious reasons".

11.56am:

And with that Det Chief Supt Neil Adamson and Temporary Chief Constable Sue Sim are gone.

• The major news to come from the press conference was the revelation that Moat is believed to have taken two hostages.

• In a strange twist, those two people have now been arrested by Northumbria police, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder.

Despite intense quizzing from members of the media at the conference, neither Adamson or Sim would elaborate on this rather curious development.

12.00pm:

Rob Booth has just spoken to an employee at the J R Soulsby & Sons toyshop on the high street in Rothbury.

You could hear in the background police driving in a landrover and speaking through a megaphone saying "the police are here to protect you".

"Its a bit scary," said the shop assistant, who asked not to be named. "There are armed police and I have seen a helicopter. People are saying a black lexus was found on the industrial estate."

Otherwise she said life was going on as normal, although the streets are quieter now the cordon has been thrown around the town.

"There are fewer people around than normal but people are walking their dogs and enjoying the sunshine."

12.03pm:

Matthew Weaver has spoken to Ken Wakinshaw, from Rothbury Family Butchers, who described the scene in the village.

"We have got police vehicles going up and down with armed officers and a loud speakers asking everyone to stay indoors... the village has gone like a ghost town. It's a small rural town, it's not a thing we are used to. We've just seen this tragedy unfold in Cumbria and you think that could never happen here."

12.14pm:

Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Adamson said there had been a "significant threat to the lives of the two men" believed to have been taken hostage by Moat.



They recovered the two men on a public road in Rothbury.

"I can confirm that both men are the people that we believe were the hostages," Adamson said.

He added that both have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murderm, and are currently being held in police custody.

Here's a longer section of Adamson's full statement from the press conference:

At an early stage it was believed Mr Moat may have taken two hostages around the time of the shooting in Birtley.

We have been dealing with this matter in accordance with national guidelines in relation to kidnap.

Throughout this time there has been a significant risk to the lives of the two men.

Shortly after 10am this morning, one of a continuing number of firearms operations was progressed in the Rothbury area of Northumberland.

This followed some key information from the public, which led us to recover the black Lexus car publicised yesterday.

This car was unoccupied when found.

Intelligence led us to conduct an operation, during which we arrested two men who were on foot walking along a public road near Rothbury in Northumberland. [...] I can confirm that both men are the people that we believe were the hostages.

Both have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. Both are currently in police custody.

At this time Mr Moat has not been located. I am confident, however, that with the support of the public and the continuing efforts of our staff that we are closing the net on Mr Moat. Operational activity is continuing as we speak.

12.22pm:

The black Lexus recovered by police today was spotted in Rothbury as long ago as Saturday, a local man has told my colleague Rob Booth.

An employee at the Home Bakery on the Rothbury industrial estate near to where Moat's Lexus was found told me police activity appears to be centred on a wooded area beside the industrial estate which is often used for illegal camping.



Again, he asked not to be named, but he said he saw the same Lexus over the weekend and was suspicious enough to take down its registration. "The Lexus was seen this morning around here," he said. "I saw it on Saturday morning just 20 yards from where I am now. I saw two young men get out of it. I made a note of the registration number because I wondered if it was illegal camping. Neither of them were the man they are looking for." He said that police have told the bakery staff to "lock your doors" and workers due to clock on shortly are not able to get in to begin their shifts.

"We are a bit concerned," he said. "My little boy is 11 and is up at the school about one mile away. I am concerned that they are keeping them inside."

He said he couldn't get through to find out because the phone was engaged.

12.29pm:

Aside from the obvious threat that Moat is a danger to the public, officers could be enforcing the two-mile exclusion zone in a bid to use technology to try and locate him, a police source has just suggested to me.

If they know he is using a sim card police can get the service provider to "ping" the phone and it indicates the nearest telephone mast. It's usually used for missing people. Not accurate and can give a 2km circumference depending on network coverage.

12.40pm:

Dramatic pictures from the BBC news channel, which has a helicopter hovering over a remote farm in the Rothbury area.

The farm looks disused, but is being surrounded by police officers, who appear to have a dog with them.

12.43pm:

The armed officers – around a dozen – are patrolling the grounds of the building as a team, entering outbuildings as they presumably hunt for Raoul Moat.

12.44pm:

The officers have just surrounded an open window of the property, through which the police dog just entered.

Several gathered outside the window, guns raised, as another smashed it clear. The officers are now entering the building.

12.46pm:

The BBC pictures shows most of the officers entering into the building. Many of the windows of appear boarded up.

Four remain outside.



View Rothbury in a larger map

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12.47pm:

This map shows the area where police are searching for Moat.

12.58pm:

The television pictures above Rothbury show a mostly open grassy area but with some densely wooded areas. The footage has moved on from the building police were searching earlier, and shows separate groups of police stationed across the countryside.

Rob Booth has been speaking to people in the Rothbury area, who say

the police activity is centred to the east of the village - beyond the industrial estate where the Lexus was found and the caravan park.

A few minutes ago, barworkers at the Newcastle Arms pub said police were moving at speed towards the eastern end of the village - towards the Wagtail and Cragside wooded areas and Thrum Mill Farm close to the industrial estate and the caravan park. Further up the hill is the National Trust's Cragside House garden estate, a local visitor attraction. "Armed police are patrolling the village," said Josephine, a bar worker at the Newcastle Arms pub. "They are going up and down the village telling people to get off the streets. All the doors and windows have been closed. If anyone appears from their door the police are on top of them, telling them they are not allowed out. They are searching the woods and working their way through the area." Graham Noble, the owner of Thrum Mill Farm, who was not in the village when he spoke to the Guardian, said his wife had told him the police operation was centred on land close to the farm. He added the police had been slow in putting out the registration of the Lexus thought to have been used by Moat. They released the details last night, but the Lexus had been in Rothbury for much of yesterday afternoon, he said.

There have been no further updates from Northumbria police since the press conference just after 11.30am, when Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Adamson said police were "closing the net" on the fugitive.

1.25pm:

Police have confirmed that three people have been arrested today.

In addition to the two men arrested after the black Lexus was found this morning, a man was arrested when police raided a property, the home of a former bouncer, in Wrekenton, Gateshead.

Here's a summary of events so far.

• Police have ordered a two mile exclusion zone near the village of Rorthbury in Northumberland. Armed officers are searching the area for Raoul Moat, and are "closing the net" on the gunman, Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Adamson said at a press conference.

• Detectives said today they had been involved in a fast-moving and complex hostage situation. Two men thought to have been taken hostage by Moat were found walking along a road in the Rothbury area. They have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder.

• A third person was arrested this morning after a raid on a property in Wrekenton, Gateshead. Police are yet to confirm the reason for the arrest. The home is believed to belong to a former bouncer, although this is yet to be confirmed.

1.45pm:

My colleague Helen Carter, reporting from the north east, has information that Moat is hiding in the woods and the hills near Rothbury. She says he is believed to have two guns and a large amount of ammunition.

We'll have more on this shortly.

2.04pm:

The home secretary Theresa May has said she is ready to discuss providing additional assistance if needed by Northumbria police.

My sincere condolences go to all those affected by the shootings in the north east. I have spoken to Acting Chief Constable Sue Sim and Home Office officials will remain in regular contact with the force. Northumbria Police are being supported by other forces and I am confident everything possible is being done to catch the suspect. We are available to discuss any additional support and assistance Northumbria Police may need.

2.12pm:

The television coverage appears to be mostly restricted now to live shots of the edge of Rothbury.

Earlier we could see helicopter footage above the fields near the village, showing police hunting for Moat, which culminated in shots of armed police entering a building which has been named locally as Pike house. It is unclear whether the search bore fruit.

2.44pm:

More from Helen Carter, who is reporting from the north east. She says Moat is believed to be armed with two shotguns, and could be hiding near Rothbury.

A man was seen jumping off a hay bale near a school in the town of Rothbury, according to witnesses near Dr Thomlinson CE voluntary aided middle school in Rothbury, Northumberland. Armed police were called to the area in an effort to find Moat this afternoon. It is feared that Moat may have slipped into nearby woodland, armed with two shotguns and a large amount of ammunition. Further details of his movements emerged yesterday, as a barber who works close to his home said he had called in for a haircut and was in good spirits after having been released from prison. "There was no indication of any bad feeling and I wouldn't say he had a hot temper," the hairdresser at Top Barber said. People living in Rothbury seemed to suggest that the Lexus had been in the area since Saturday, and it is thought Moat and his two associates could have been holed up in a farmhouse since the weekend. Schoolchildren were ordered by police to stay indoors at their school as the police incident continued. Residents said it was a ghost town in lockdown. Isobel Wilson, 67, a resident who discovered the abandoned Lexus, said it had not moved for 11 hours before the police learned of its whereabouts this morning.

At a press conference police said he had one conviction. They later said he had been arrested 12 times and charged with seven offences.

3.08pm:

ITN has uploaded footage from the Northumbria police press conference, showing Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Adamson revealing that two men who had been believed to have been taken hostage by Raoul Moat have been arrested.

Adamson also makes a direct plea to Moat to hand himself in.

3.21pm:

As school closing time approaches in Rothbury, school children remain in their classrooms under police guard, Helen Carter emails:

Six police vans are guarding Dr Thomlinson CE voluntary aided middle school in Rothbury as the 210 pupils remained inside, following a sighting of a man who bore a strong resemblance to Moat, jumping on haystacks nearby. Armed police were searching fields as the net closed in on the fugitive gunman.

4.44pm:

A couple who tipped off the police about fugitive Raoul Moat's car said they spotted it 10 hours before they realised it might be suspicious, according to PA.

Northumbria Police publicised the registration number of a black Lexus he was thought to be using late last night.

Isobel and Peter Wilson, who live next to the police station in Rothbury, Northumberland, saw the saloon parked up at 9pm yesterday while they walked their Labrador Geordie and spaniel Danny near an industrial estate.

Isobel Wilson, a retired NHS service manager, said: "People often park there to walk their dog or go camping.

"I noticed it was a black Lexus because I like a Lexus.

"I saw it was an older one, a V reg.

"It had plastic cover on the driver's seat.

"I didn't see anyone camping there.

"This morning I heard the police were looking for a V registration Lexus so my husband went back and checked it.

"We rang the police at about 7.30am and they thanked us for the information.

"It's a funny feeling now. I am surprised.

"He must have been here before.

"If I had known last night I would have said something straight away, but the police have their reasons for not telling us everything."

4.55pm:

More on the police search of Pike House this afternoon, which apparently came after a Rothbury farmer alerted police when she began to suspect Moat may have camped out on her family's land last night.

Jessica Taylor, who runs Wagtail Farm, just outside Rothbury, with her mother, said she noticed unusual activity at the disused Grade II-listed building.

"When I was up there checking the sheep this morning, it's all boarded up and one of the boards was pulled off," she told north east news website JournalLive.co.uk.

Police with sniffer dogs searched Pike House, a Grade II-listed building built in the late 18th or early 19th century, but apparently found nothing.

Taylor, 26, also saw smoke coming from a remote spot in fields near the village of Rothbury this morning. She said she went to Rothbury police station at 9.30am, but it was an hour and a half before armed officers arrived to investigate her report.

The farmer said: "They were definitely camping there. This morning, when I was going around the stock, I noticed there was smoke.

"I thought it was suspicious and went to the police. I thought it could be him, so I didn't want to go up there."

Moat's apparent campsite was in a well-hidden spot surrounded by trees, near a river, she said.

5.08pm:

The former girlfriend of Raoul Moat has spoken of the weekends the pair spent camping in Rothbury, and said he could hide out there "for days".

Yvette Foreman, 35, dated the former nightclub doorman when they were both were in their early 20s, according to the Press Association.

She spent weekends camping with him in the woods and fellsides surrounding her home in Rothbury, where police believe the gunman has gone to ground.

"People are blaming me for Raoul coming up here," she said. "They think it's all a joke but I'm terrified.

"I told police as soon as I heard he was on the loose he'd be heading for here and they did nothing.

"If I could speak to him, I'd just say come on, pet, turn yourself in, it's not worth it."

The waitress, who lives with her mother Eileen, 66, on Jubilee Crescent, said Moat knew the Rothbury countryside well.

"I knew he'd come here," she said. "It's his favourite place in the whole world.

"We'd go camping and fishing here loads when we were younger, almost every weekend, and he knows the woods and hills like the back of his hand.

"There's so much woodland and so many little nooks and crags out there I think he could hide out for days."

Foreman said she has told police of the connection.

5.21pm:

Northumbria police holding press conference at 5.30pm on the latest in the hunt for Raoul Moat. Follow it here.

5.42pm:

Still waiting for the press conference to start. Police are believed to have an update on the Rothbury exclusion zone currently in place.

5.59pm:

My colleague Martin Wainwright has this from the north east:



A series of other searches took place in Northumberland as the afternoon wore on without definite news. In mid-afternoon armed officers drove at speed into the grounds of Northgate hospital on the edge of Morpeth, 12 miles from Rothbury. They entered the main building of the specialist unit while the force helicopter circled overhead, but left after 15 minutes apparently without finding anything. Other searches took place along a disused railway line running down the picturesque Coquet valley. The first sign of the Rothbury search winding down came at 5pm with an announcement that parents would be able to collect children from Dr Tomlinson middle school which had been cut off all day under guard by armed police. Schoolchildren brought out of the town stopped at the roadblocks to describe the day's events as "very scary - like being in the sort of thing you see on TV." They said that windows had been locked shut with curtains and blinds drawn all day while police patrolled outside.

The press conference at 5.30pm appears to have been a smaller affair than I had anticipate, and wasn't shown on any of the news channels. ChronicleLive.co.uk has some details on the conference, which their reporter Dan Warburton says was designed to reassure the residents of Rothbury and the vicinity.

6.56pm:

Chief Superintendent Mark Dennett, area commander for Northumberland, has just held a press conference. PA has the details.

"This investigation and search is still ongoing," Dennett told reporters at St Helen's C of E First School in Longhorsley, near Rothbury, which was turned into a temporary rest centre for stranded residents. "This is a fast-moving and dynamic situation and we still have two still in custody from this morning, who are an integral part of this inquiry. Members of the public are advised to remain indoors and await further instructions. Also anyone visiting Rothbury is advised not to travel at this stage. Raoul Thomas Moat is still potentially at large and we are undertaking a search in what is a significant and challenging geographic area and it may take several hours. There are armed officers on the streets of Rothbury and we understand this may concern people but this is a precautionary measure to protect and reassure them."

7.03pm:

We're wrapping up this blog for today. Here's a summary of the day's events:

• Officers and sniffer dogs are scouring fields, woods and outhouses for Moat near where he abandoned his car in Rothbury, Northumberland.

• An ex-girlfriend says Moat knows the area around the village "like the back of his hand" and could live rough there for days.

• Northumbria police have set up a two-mile exclusion zone around Rothbury and ordered children to to be kept in school today. They said that the net was closing in on the alleged killer.

• The focus of the manhunt shifted to Rothbury after Moat's black Lexus saloon was found parked in an industrial estate beside the River Coquet.

• Police last night imposed a media blackout on reporting that the gunman was holding two men hostage, but it was lifted this morning when they were found near Rothbury. The pair were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and taken into custody.



7.19pm:

Thanks for all your comments.