Four people, probably including a gunman, were killed during a hostage-taking incident at a house in southern Germany yesterday, said a police spokesman.
Earlier, police said the gunman had taken up to four people hostage following an attempted eviction of an apartment in the town of Karlsruhe. “Special forces broke into the apartment after smelling smoke and found four dead bodies. Probably one of them is the gunman,” said the spokesman.
He declined to comment on German media reports that the hostages included a bailiff and two other people who had accompanied him to the building, one of whom may have been a locksmith.
“My colleagues are investigating exactly what happened,” said the spokesman.
Police had sealed off the area around the building, in northern Karlsruhe, after shots were heard. The police were due to hold a news conference on the incident later in the day. – (Reuters)