Gunman shot dead at Venezuela central bank

A gunman entered the Venezuelan central bank's headquarters, opening fire while reportedly shouting "Where are the board members?" before he was shot dead.

A member of the special police forces stands guard outside the Central Bank after a confrontation with a gunman Source: Getty Images

A gunman has opened fire inside Venezuela's central bank, wounding two guards before he was shot dead by security officers, according to two sources.

The unidentified assailant barged into the bank's headquarters in central Caracas on Monday, shooting and shouting, "Where are the board members?," the institution's president Nelson Merentes said.

"He wounded two guards, fortunately they are stable and are currently in a clinic," Merentes told journalists, adding that the shooter's motives were unclear and an investigation was underway.

The assailant set off a metal detector in the main entrance of the bank, at which point he took out his weapon and began firing, a bank employee said.

Merentes said the man briefly took a woman hostage in the reception area, ran up the stairs, and was confronted by security forces between the fourth and fifth floors.

Bank employees said they were holed up in their offices, in downtown Caracas, while the episode was underway.

One source inside the bank said the attacker was a young man who claimed to have a bomb in his briefcase, although the bag was ultimately found to be empty.