City Hall standoff: Man takes hostages in Bavarian town ahead of Merkel visit

[Bosonic]

Source: Russia Today

Several people have been taken hostage by an unidentified assailant in the southern German city of Ingolstadt ahead of a visit by Chancellor Angela Merkel. The hostages are being held in the city hall and their captor has made no demands as of yet.

Police spokesman Guenther Beck confirmed the hostages were being held on the second floor of the city hall and that they were in contact with their captor.

He added there was no information on the weapons he might have or what he wanted.

The hostage-taking comes a few hours before German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s scheduled visit to Ingolstadt, although it is unclear whether the events are connected.

Read more: http://rt.com/news/germany-hostages-merkel-hall-659/

[Duckhunter935]

1. great city

They make Audi's there. Nice museum. Hope all ends well.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Stalker - the woman he was stalking is one of the hostages

Media reports say the hostage-taker is a 24-year-old man accused of stalking a female city employee. Speaking to reporters near the scene, Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said a city worker, believed to be the woman in question, was one of the people taken hostage. A senior member of the local council is also thought to be among the hostages. Police said only a "low" number of hostages appeared to have been taken, but the precise figure was not immediately clear.

Police say they were in contact with the suspect and that he was armed with a hand gun. However, it wasn't clear whether the weapon was loaded or functional. So far, the gunman has issued no demands.

http://www.dw.de/chancellor-merkel-calls-off-campaign-event-due-to-hostage-taking/a-17029624

[Blue_Tires]

3. There is a certain irony in Bavaria supposedly being Germany's "Texas"