German police ends hostage situation at supermarket

BERLIN

A woman and a child taken hostage at a supermarket in Dresden have been freed unharmed following a police operation, authorities said on Saturday.

The 40-year-old gunman was wounded by police during the operation, and he later died as a result of his injuries, Dresden police said in a statement.

A shopping mall in the eastern Germany city was evacuated earlier after the police were informed about a possible hostage situation. The city’s popular Christmas market (Striezelmarkt) was also closed.

According to initial investigation, the suspect had shot his mother in her home earlier in the day, and later attempted to storm a radio station in the city center, police spokesman Thomas Geithner told reporters.

The suspect then fled to the Altmarkt-Galerie mall, where he had taken several people hostage, according to the spokesman.

He said the suspect’s motive and mental state were unknown, and the investigations were ongoing.