14 DAY TRIAL // A hostage situation in Germany has been resolved after a nine-hour standoff at the City Hall of Ingolstadt.
Police have rescued hostages alive after shooting a 24-year-old suspect. According to Russia Today, the man has been injured in the shootout, but his wounds are not fatal and he is currently in stable condition.
“No hostages were injured during the rescue operation. The gunman sustained injuries, but is alive,” a police source has stated.
The incident at City Hall has prompted Chancellor Angela Merkel to cancel the Ingolstadt leg of her political rally.
Police spokesman Guenther Beck detailed that four people, two men and two women, were taken hostage. The first one to be released was an unnamed woman.
One of the hostages was the third mayor of Ingolstadt, Sepp Misslbeck, and he was freed within the first few hours.
Two more people remained in the shooter's custody and they were being kept on the second floor of the City Hall building.
Police were dispatched to the scene in armored cars and Special Forces officers were called in.
“It's a horrible situation. The staff were deeply dismayed and didn't know how to react... It's a very bad day for Ingolstadt,” mayor Alfred Lehrmann expressed in a statement relayed by Sky News.
The same publication mentioned that the suspect turned up at Town Hall at 9 a.m. armed with a handgun. However, there is information suggesting that the weapon might be fake.
He has a criminal record consisting in assault and intimidation following a stalking incident. He also threatened the 25-year-old town hall employee until the woman reported it. He was arrested last year and committed to a mental facility.
Authorities have reported that a man is missing from the city's Danvius psychiatric clinic, but the patient's identity has not been confirmed.