A hostage situation in a Dresden shopping mall has ended after the suspect died from a fatal injury, German police reported.
Shortly after midday local time, police announced on Twitter that the hostage situation was over. “Two apparently uninjured people are in our care,” they added.
Police had also previously ordered Dresden’s Christmas market to remain closed, while there were reports by local media that shots were fired.
A previous statement by police said: “The Dresden police are carrying out an operation in the city centre of Dresden. The background is the suspicion of hostage-taking. In this context, the Altmarktgalerie and adjacent areas are being evacuated. Access is currently not possible.”
“The police are asking people to avoid the city centre. Police measures are continuing. No further information is available at the moment.”
It was not immediately clear if a suspect had been arrested.
Radio Dresden reported that the suspected gunman has attempted to break into its building, but he was unable to gain access, despite shooting at the fire door of the main entrance.
“Fortunately, all of our staff were able to get to safety,” Tino Utassy, the head of Radio Dresden, said.
Dresden police confirmed that a 62-year-old woman was found dead in another part of the city. Her 40-year-old son was named as a suspect.
Police declined to confirm whether there was a connection between the killing and the hostage-taking.
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