A hostage situation in the southern city of Mostar ended, on Tuesday, without casualties as police apprehended three masked gunmen who tried to rob a bank.

Police swiftly surrounded the building after receiving information about a robbery in progress and detained the three suspects.

Ljudevit Maric, the spokesperson of the Interior Ministry in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton where the city is located, said the police operation was successful thanks to citizens who called in the robbery and the officers who acted swiftly and resolved the situation without casualties.

“The Mostar Police Station received a phone call at around 3 pm saying there is a bank robbery underway in the ‘Privredna banka’ and that three masked gunmen are inside. The suspects were apprehended, and they are awaiting further criminal investigation,” Maric said.

He added that bank employees and several clients were traumatised by the event, but that no one was harmed.

The degree of stress and trauma the hostages suffered is yet to be determined as part of the investigation, he said.