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Germany shooting: man 'killed after opening fire at cinema in Viernheim' Germany shooting: man 'killed after opening fire at cinema in Viernheim'
(35 minutes later)
An armed and masked man has reportedly been shot dead by German special police after storming a cinema complex in Viernheim, in Germany’s Hesse region.An armed and masked man has reportedly been shot dead by German special police after storming a cinema complex in Viernheim, in Germany’s Hesse region.
According to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, the man entered the Kinopolis complex at about 3pm, wearing a mask and carrying a gun and a munition belt. The man is reported to have fired into the air as he entered the cinema. The gunman was said to have taken hostages, all of whom have escaped uninjured.
According to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, the man entered the Kinopolis complex shortly after the start of the first screenings of the day at about 3pm, wearing a mask and carrying a gun and a munition belt. The man is reported to have fired into the air as he entered the cinema.
The interior minister of the state of Hesse confirmed at about 5pm that the man had been subdued by police and was dead.The interior minister of the state of Hesse confirmed at about 5pm that the man had been subdued by police and was dead.
Various local media are reporting that up to 50 people have been injured due to the use of CS gas. German police’s special response unit had closed off an area around the cinema complex shortly after the start of the incident. Police spokesperson Bernd Hochstaedter said that the police deployment lasted around three hours.
German police’s special response unit have closed off an area around the cinema complex. “We believe that there were no injured people, and that the people who were in the cinema with the perpetrator could be freed uninjured”, Hochstaedter said.
The motive of the gunman was so far unclear, Frankfurter Allgemeine reported, saying that several scenarios were being considered including a botched robbery, as well as a political or an ideological cause. Various local media had reported that up to 50 people had been injured due to the use of CS gas.
According to German press agency dpa, German security services currently believe the gunman to be a “confused individual” rather than a terrorist.
More details soon …More details soon …