Hostage situation in Dresden shopping mall, German police confirm

Radio Dresden earlier reported that shots had been fired at a building near the main train station

German police say they have ended a hostage situation in the eastern city of Dresden.

Officers had urged people to avoid an area in the city centre on Saturday morning and ordered the Striezelmarkt Christmas market to remain closed while the operation was under way.

Shortly after noon police announced on Twitter that the hostage situation was over. “Two outwardly uninjured people are in our care,” they added. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the suspect had been arrested.

It did not provide any details on the suspect.

Radio Dresden earlier reported that shots had been fired at a building near the main train station. The man reportedly fired several shots before fleeing, according to Radio Dresden. Police have not confirmed these details.

Police vehicles are parked around a cordoned off area at the Altmarktgalerie during a hostage situation in Dresden, Germany ((c) dpa-Zentralbild)

News outlet TAG24 earlier cited police as saying that a 40-year-old German man was believed to have killed his 62-year-old mother in an apartment building in the Prohlis district of Dresden, southeast of the city centre.

It said that police said the hostage-taking at the Altmarktgalerie shopping mall was related to the killing but declined to provide further details, Reuters reported.

Earlier on Saturday a large police presence was deployed in the city centre, cordoned off the Altmarktgalerie mall and closed the Striezelmarkt Christmas market.

“The Dresden Police Department is currently carrying out an operation in downtown Dresden. The background is the suspicion of a hostage situation,” the department said in a statement.

The famous Striezelmarkt Christmas market is the oldest in the world and attracts millions of visitors each year.

The market is now open after the police operation in the city centre has ended.