Hostage situation near Cologne main train station – police
A hostage situation broke out near the main railway station in Cologne, German police confirmed, while local media say there is heavy presence of officers armed with submachine guns.
"We assume that a hostage has been taken, either at McDonald's or at a nearby pharmacy," a police spokeswoman told Reuters.
"A woman is probably being held but we don't have any further details," she added.
The suspect seems to be armed, but his identity is yet to be established, police said. It is unknown at this stage if the perpetrator has any terrorist connections. Nevertheless, the police counter-terrorism team are gearing up for the possible hostage rescue, local media said.
As the situation develops, social media users started uploading photos of the Cologne station and its vicinity.
Wie der Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger berichtet, sollen am Hauptbahnhof in #Köln gegen 12:50 Uhr mehrere Schüsse gefallen sein. Die Polizei ist derzeit mit einem Großaufgebot vor Ort, um die Lage zu sondieren. pic.twitter.com/NQQHTC1tjP
— nrw-aktuell.tv (@nrwaktuelltv) October 15, 2018
Later, police reported that the situation was resolved as the suspect was taken “under control.” The female hostage suffered light injuries in the incident and is now being treated by the medics, the police added. The suspect was severely injured in the police operation.
READ MORE: Cologne hostage taker ‘under control,’ one hostage with minor injuries – police
Shortly after police began evacuating the area, Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s leading railway company, announced that it suspended trains arriving to, or stopping at, the station. Later, it partially resumed railway services on a number of tracks.
Located near the famous Cologne Cathedral, the central station is one of the most important railway junctions on the river Rhine. Around 1,300 trains pass it every day, carrying up to 280,000 passengers through the station’s eleven tracks.
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