Germany Shooting: Gunman Shot Dead After Taking Hostages at Cinema

According to German media reports, the shooter has been arrested.

German police at Viernheim’s cinema complex. (Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@SputnikInt)

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A masked man with a gun and ammunition belt barricaded himself and opened fire in a cinema complex in the small western German town of Viernheim, near Frankfurt, on Thursday.

Speaking to N-TV, German police spokesperson said that the gunman, who had taken hostages at the cinema was shot dead by the police.

Police sources said that no hostage was hurt in the incident.

Hessian Interior Minister, Peter Beuth said the lone attacker carried a rifle or “long gun”, and appeared to have been a “disturbed man”.

Cinema employee, Guri Blakaj said the gunman, who appeared to be aged between 18 and 25 and was about 1.7 metres tall, entered the cinema at around 3 pm and told workers to get into an office. He then went into a cinema theatre, Blakaj said.

There were about six workers and 30 cinemagoers in the building where shots were fired, until police special forces stormed the building and shot the shooter.

(With inputs from Reuters.)

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Updated at:23rd Jun, 2016 at 10:58 PM