Police evacuated a shopping mall and its surroundings in the eastern German city of Dresden due to an alleged hostage situation.
A statement on the police website read: “The Dresden Police Department is conducting an operation in the center of Dresden. The background is a suspected hostage situation.”
The German newspaper Bild reported that a gunman had killed a woman, then stormed into a local radio station and fired shots before fleeing to a shopping center where he took several hostages.
On its website, Radio Dresden said that earlier a man believed to be a gunman had entered the Ammonhof office building, where the radio station is located, at around 8:30 a.m. local time (0730 GMT) and that there had been shots.
Police have yet to confirm these details, but urged citizens to avoid the city center. The famous Striezelmarkt Christmas market will also remain closed for the time being.
Police have confirmed that they are in contact with the perpetrator. Radio Dresden writes that the suspect is in a room in the Altmarktgalerie, a shopping center in Dresden, after fleeing the scene in the direction of the old town.
The Radio website says the hostage-taking is related to the death of a 62-year-old woman in an apartment building in Prohlis, Dresden.
“Emergency services found a 62-year-old woman lifeless in an apartment building in Prohlis. An emergency doctor who was called could only determine her death,” the website reads.
“According to the police, the suspect is the woman’s 40-year-old German son.
“The Dresden police department is currently conducting an operation to suspect a hostage-taking at the Dresden Altmarktgalerie, which is obviously related to the homicide.”
Due to the ongoing operation, traffic restrictions in the center of Dresden are maintained.
