An armed suspect who allegedly killed his mother before taking two hostages in Dresden is now dead, police have confirmed.
Police said they were initially communicating with a 40-year-old German national after he barricaded himself in a shopping center with a nine-year-old child and a 38-year-old shop worker.
It was announced on Saturday afternoon that the hostage situation was over, with 300 officers on duty, including special forces officers during the incident.
The unnamed man died during the operation, police in the state of Saxony, of which Dresden is the capital, said on Twitter.
“The 40-year-old suffered fatal injuries during the attack and the release of the hostages. The specific circumstances are under further investigation,” the force said in a statement.
The Special Task Force officers used firearms which resulted in the death of the suspect during a confrontation.
He is suspected of killing his mother, 62, who was found dead in another part of Dresden in the early hours of Saturday morning before heading downtown.
At around 8:30 a.m. local time (7:30 a.m. GMT), he entered a building on Ammonstrasse, firing shots at the door of a radio station.
He had the nine-year-old, believed to be a friend’s child, with him at the time, Saxony police said.
Radio Dresden staff reported that a gunman entered the Ammonhof office building, where the broadcaster is located, and fired several shots.
The suspect then drove with the child to the Altmarkt-Galerie shopping center before taking a store employee hostage and barricading him in an office.
He then called the police who confirmed having been in contact with the attacker, with a negotiation group on the spot, shortly after 11:30 am.
The shopping center was evacuated and Dresden’s Striezelmarkt Christmas market was closed while the hostage rescue operation was underway.
The Striezelmarkt in Dresden was evacuated during the incident Pic: AP
Hostages “apparently unscathed”
Police stormed the office after hearing gunshots during the clash, forcing a door open to gain entry.
The hostages were “apparently unharmed” during their ordeal, police said.
Police spokesman Thomas Geithner said the suspect was mentally ill, according to previous investigations.
Police separately confirmed that a 62-year-old woman was found dead in an apartment building in Prohlis, Dresden, on Saturday. His 40-year-old son has been named as a suspect.
Media outlet TAG24 reported that police said the mall hostage-taking was linked to the murder, but declined to provide further details.
The town center lockdown has now been lifted, with police saying the incident is “no longer a dangerous situation”. But the Altmarkt-Galerie shopping center remains closed.
Police said processing the operation and investigations will take some time.
The incident comes as security focused on Germanyafter investigators earlier this week foiled a
far right plot to overthrow the German government and install an aristocrat at the head of a new state.
