In the city of Karlsruhe, in western Germany, a large number of police officers were deployed to a pharmacy hostage on Friday. A man held several people there and, according to German media, demanded no less than one million euros in ransom.
The wider area was cordoned off when the hostage-taking started around 4:30 p.m. Emergency shelter was arranged for people who could not go home.
The police were in contact with the hostage taker(s), who were arrested later that evening. The hostages were not injured, according to police. Local media reports of a suspected one hostage-taker and two hostages. In exchange for their freedom, a ransom of millions is demanded, reports the Stuttgarter Nachrichten.
Inner city
The hostage-taking took place at the Congress Pharmacy downtown, located next to the convention center, according to the newspaper. Neighbors said they heard gunshots early in the evening. Due to the large-scale police operation and the security perimeter, the nearby concert hall and the Schwarzwaldhalle are not accessible. Police are asking to avoid the area.
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