Man charged after armed siege

The building was surrounded by armed police

A man has been charged with holding a woman hostage for five hours at gunpoint during an attempted robbery in central London

Davood Ramezanzadeh is also accused of a string of armed robberies which netted more than £500,000 in cash and travellers' cheques.

He was charged at Brent Magistrates Court on Saturday with six robberies and two attempted robberies and was remanded in custody until 8 July.

The 49-year-old from Catterick Close in Friern Barnet, is accused of holding-up travel exchanges in London and the South East.

Cash haul

Haymarket in central London was closed off and the American Express travel exchange surrounded by police on Thursday morning after it was reported a gunman was inside.

The 34-year-old manageress of the exchange left the building five hours later. Thirty minutes afterwards a man was arrested after leaving the building.

Mr Ramezanzadeh is accused of stealing £403,027.87 ($658,415.67) in cash and £113,725.02 ($174,124.38) in travellers' cheques during a number of raids.

The charges are:

Robbery on 26 August, 2000 at American Express, 40 Great Russell Street, WC1

Robbery on 3 September, 2000 at American Express, The Glades, Bromley, Kent

Robbery on 8 November, 2000 at American Express, 7 Wilton Road, London, SW1, and possession of a handgun

Attempted robbery on 26 March 2001, at the Change Group, 65 Bayswater Road, London, W2, and possession of two handguns

Robbery on 29 March 2001, at American Express, 12 Harlequin Centre, Watford

Robbery on 1 August 2001, at American Express, 12 Harlequin Centre, Watford, and possession of a handgun

Robbery on 25 November, 2001, at American Express, 156, Southampton Row, WC1, and possession of a handgun

Attempted robbery on 27 June 2002, at American Express, 30-31 Haymarket, SW1, possession of a hand gun and unlawfully imprisoning a woman.