A policeman deactivate the explosives used by a hostage taker in Qingzhen District of Guiyang City, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Nov. 1, 2009. A man took a 10-year-old boy hostage in Qingzhen at midnight of Saturday, asking for a ransom of 150,000 yuan (21,900 U.S. dollars). Police shot dead the hostage taker, who claimed to have explosives, at 5:00 a.m. after "repeated persuasion failed" and successfully rescued the boy. (Xinhua/Li Jinfeng) Photo Gallery>>>

    GUIYANG, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- A man who took a boy hostage was shot dead by police in southwest China's Guizhou Province early Sunday morning.

    The man, who took a 10-year-old boy hostage in Qingzhen District in Guiyang City at midnight, asked for a ransome of 150,000 yuan (21,900 U.S. dollars), local police said.

    Police shot dead the hostage taker, who claimed to have explosives, at at 5:00 a.m. after "repeated persuasion failed" and successfully rescued the boy.

    Police said they had defused the explosives and were working to identify the hostage taker.