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Hostage taker arrested in Dresden Mall incident leaving at least one dead

By Peter McLaren-Kennedy • 10 December 2022 • 13:52

Altmarkt-Galerie - Credit Altmarkt-Galerie website

A hostage taker who brought a Dresden city centre shopping mall to a standstill has been arrested after being injured.

According to German news site RND on Saturday, December 10, it is unclear whether the hostage taker was injured in his arrest or whether he had injured himself. What is clear is that police say he is no in a fit state to be interrogated at present.

It is thought that the 40-year-old killed his mother earlier in the morning before taking an employee and a child hostage in the Altmarkt-Galerie shopping centre.

The police say they are currently investigating a third site with reports of another shooting in the Radio Dresden Ammonhof office building,.

The hostages are said to have been freed unharmed although clearly suffering from the shock of being taken hostage.

It is understood that police had previously been in contact with the alleged hostage-taker who is thought to be suffering from mental illness.

He is believed to have shot his mother at around 7.20am at her apartment in the Dresden-Prohlis area.

According to a police spokesman, the suspect is very conspicuous in his psychological behaviour. “We are most likely to assume mental illness” adding that they do not suspect anyone else or any other motive.

A number of people had to be evacuated from the shopping centre during the hostage taking incident and the famous Striezelmarkt was also closed , it has since reopened.

A police spokesperson said: “It is now the task of the crime scene work to verify what happened” with no known further casualties in the Dresden Mall incident.

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