German police have stormed the Iraqi embassy in Berlin, freeing all hostages, according to reports.
Police raided the embassy building in Berlin this evening freeing the hostages, two of whom
were slightly hurt, and arresting five of their abductors, officials said.
No shots were fired in the operation to end the siege which lasted about five hours.
“At 7.40 p.m. the building was entered and five people were arrested. Two were injured but only lightly,” police spokeswoman Ms Christine Rother told reporters at the scene.
The hostage takers had not resisted arrest, she said.
They are members of an obscure Iraqi opposition group that had entered the embassy seven hours earlier demanding an end to Saddam Hussein's rule.
The White House quickly condemned the obscure Iraqi opposition group for occupying the embassy, saying it undercut “legitimate efforts” to overthrow Saddam.