Frankfurt - German police shot dead a dog-sized rat which attacked a 59-year-old man outside his home near Frankfurt, Bild newspaper reported yesterday. It quoted police as saying the 20-inch rat was as vicious as a fighting dog.
It said the rodent's intended victim, identified only as Horst L, heard something rustling in a bush and then a sharp hissing. He turned around and saw the rat, ready to pounce at him. "I was rigid with fear," said Mr Horst. "I just had time to grab a wooden plank to fend it off." Mr Horst ran inside his home to call the police.