A woman was taken hostage in the western German city of Cologne, with police urging people to stay away from the area around the city's main train station.
"We assume that a hostage has been taken, either at McDonald's or at a nearby pharmacy," a police spokeswoman said, adding: "A woman is probably being held but we don't have any further details."
German magazine Focus had earlier reported that several shots appeared to have been fired at Cologne's main train station, which is next to the city's landmark cathedral.
Here's a wrap of the day's events from Lizzie Dearden:
Suspect and female hostage injured as German police end Cologne station stand-off
Female hostage receiving hospital treatmentHere's the latest wrap-up of the news from Reuters:
German police caught a suspected hostage-taker at the main train station in the western city of Cologne on Monday and freed the injured hostage.
"The suspect is under control," Cologne police said on Twitter. "A female hostage has sustained light injuries and is being tended to."
Police also said the suspect had been seriously injured during their operation and was being resuscitated. A spokeswoman said officers had forced their way into a pharmacy where the suspect was, adding that the hostage-taker's motives were unclear.
The incident prompted the evacuation of the station.
German magazine Focus had earlier reported that several shots appeared to have been fired in the station, which is next to the city's cathedral, a major tourist attraction. However, Cologne police could not confirm this.
Germany is on high alert for militant attacks, almost two years after a Tunisian Islamist rammed a hijacked truck into a Christmas market in central Berlin, killing 11 people as well as the driver.
Images taken outside the station showed the steps of the cathedral were crowded with travellers carrying suitcases due to the evacuation.
He is currently being resuscitated, police say.
The police say the offender was severely injured when they stormed the train station.
While the incident is under control, "operational measures" still continue according to the police. That means the area – including the train station – is still in shut down.
A female hostage is "lightly injured and is currently being cared for", the police say.
Breaking via Reuters:
GERMAN POLICE SAY SUSPECT IN HOSTAGE-TAKING IN COLOGNE IS "UNDER CONTROL"
German police have made contact with a man who took a woman hostage Monday inside Cologne's main train station and are trying to win her release.
Police said the incident started Monday at 12:45 p.m. (1045 GMT). The entire station, one of the biggest in the country, was evacuated and closed off as well as Breslauer Platz square behind the station.
"We are in contact with the man," police spokesman Christoph Gilles told broadcaster n-tv.
"We need to find out what he wants, what his demands are and whether he carries a weapon," he said, adding that police weren't aware of the man's motive.
Gilles said specially-trained officers were talking to the hostage taker, who hadn't been identified.
"We're doing everything to get the hostage out of there unharmed," Gilles said.
German railroad operator Deutsche Bahn said that all train traffic was shut down.
Ambulances and heavily-armed police were lined up in wait behind the train station.
Police said the incident started Monday at 12:45 p.m. (1045 GMT). The entire station, one of the biggest in the country, was evacuated and closed off as well as Breslauer Platz square behind the station.
"We are in contact with the man," police spokesman Christoph Gilles told broadcaster n-tv.
"We need to find out what he wants, what his demands are and whether he carries a weapon," he said, adding that police weren't aware of the man's motive.
Gilles said specially-trained officers were talking to the hostage taker, who hadn't been identified.
"We're doing everything to get the hostage out of there unharmed," Gilles said.
German railroad operator Deutsche Bahn said that all train traffic was shut down.
Ambulances and heavily-armed police were lined up in wait behind the train station.
They also ask that nobody posts videos or photos from the scene. Live streaming can help the perpetrator, they say.
The police has confirmed that as yet no shots have been fired and nobody is dead.
Police officer Christoph Schulte told The Associated Press that incident appears to have started Monday at 12:45 p.m. He said parts of the station, one of the biggest in the country, were closed off as well as Breslauer Platz square behind the station.
"We have indications that one man is holding one woman, but we haven't been able to really get close," Schulte said.
"We have indications that one man is holding one woman, but we haven't been able to really get close," Schulte said.
Here's the latest update from Associated Press:
Police in Cologne say they have closed parts of the western German city's main railway station because of a hostage situation.
Police officer Christoph Schulte said the incident appears to have started inside the station.
He said parts of the station, one of the biggest in the country, were closed off as well as Breslauer Platz square behind the station.
There were no immediate details on who was taken hostage or how many people were involved.
German railroad operator Deutsche Bahn tweeted that some of the station's tracks were shut down temporarily.
Police on Twitter told people to avoid the station.
The official Deutsche Bahn Information account has tweeted to advise that a number of platforms are out of use owing to the ongoing incident. They advise travellers to check travel information before they set out.
There is no information about the duration of the operation, they said.
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