BERLIN // A masked gunman was shot dead yesterday after entering a cinema in Germany with what appeared to be a rifle and taking several hostages.
The man entered the Kinopolis cinema in the town of Viernheim, near Mannheim, in the early afternoon and apparently fired several shots.
He held several hostages, police spokeswoman Christiane Kobus said.
Officers “entered the cinema and located the man and the people he was holding,” Ms Kobus said. “There was a threat situation and the man was shot dead.”
The deployment lasted about three hours. There were no other injuries, Ms Kobus said.
Police had no immediate information on the assailant’s identity or motive.
The Kinopolis multiplex, located inside a shopping mall, was relatively empty as it was an afternoon showing.
* Associated Press
