Crime & Justice

Police confirm death of hostage taker in Dresden

(Update: adds info on death of suspect)

Berlin, Dec 10 (EFE).- A man who took two people hostage at a shopping center in the eastern German city of Dresden on Saturday has died in custody, police said.

“The 40-year-old man was fatally wounded in the course of his arrest and the release of the hostages,” police said in a statement, adding that the specific circumstances were still being investigated.

Earlier, a police spokesman had confirmed that the two hostages had been rescued unharmed.

According to the newspaper “Bild”, the assailant was seriously wounded, adding that it was unclear whether he self-harmed or was injured during the arrest.

The man, a German national, reportedly killed his 62-year-old mother on Saturday morning in a neighborhood about seven kilometers from the city center.

He then tried to break into the Radio Dresden radio station, but despite firing at the fire door at the main entrance, he was unable to gain access.

“Fortunately, all the staff were able to get to safety,” Radio Dresden head Tino Utassy, who alerted the police, told the newspaper.

When officers arrived, the suspect fled in his vehicle and barricaded himself in the shopping center, where he took a woman and a child hostage.

Police closed access to the shopping center and the Christmas market, and have asked the public to avoid the area. EFE

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