Armed Man Shot Dead In Cinema Hostage-Taking In SouthWest Germany

An armed man has been killed after taking people hostage at a cinema complex in southwest Germany.

Initial reports suggested up to 50 people had  been hurt but police say there were no injuries.

A man reportedly barricaded himself inside the Kinopolis cinema complex in Viernheim at 3pm and fired a number of shots.

German media said he was masked and was carrying a gun and an ammunition belt.

But Hesse's interior minister, Peter Beuth, said later it was not clear if the weapon was real.

He added that the gunman appeared to be a "disturbed" person.

"We believe that there were no injured people, and that the people who were in the cinema with the perpetrator could be freed uninjured," he said.

Earlier police said there was an "unclear threat situation" probably involving a weapon at a movie theatre.

The area was cordoned off and officers from the nearby city of Mannheim were sent to support the Viernheim force.

Police spokesman Bernd Hochstaedter said the drama lasted around three hours.

A police spokeswoman at the scene, Christiane Kompus, said she had no information on the assailant's identity and motives.

She said he had been holding several people hostage, but did not have a precise number.

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