Breaking news and video: Police shoot dead gunman who stormed German cinema

AN ARMED man who reportedly fired shots and barricaded himself in a German cinema has been shot dead by police, authorities have confirmed.
By The Newsroom
Published 23rd Jun 2016, 15:51 BST
Updated 25th Aug 2016, 20:15 BST
Twitter picture of armed police outside the Kinopolis cinema in Viernheim, GermanyTwitter picture of armed police outside the Kinopolis cinema in Viernheim, Germany
Twitter picture of armed police outside the Kinopolis cinema in Viernheim, Germany

At least 20 people were hurt as heavily armed police surrounded the Kinopolis cinema complex in the town of Viernheim, near Frankfurt in south-west Germany.

Most were apparently suffering from the effects of tear gas. There are no reports of gunshot injuries.

Local reports identified the man as a “white nationalist”.

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Peter Beuth, interior minister for the state of Hessen, said: “The police thought the gunman was holding hostages and because of that he was shot dead.”

He added: “The police had an emergency call at 2:45pm. The caller said there was a masked man armed with a long gun. It is unclear whether it was a real gun.

“The caller heard four shots and said that the masked man appeared a little mentally unstable. Police special forces were called.”

It was unclear if attacker’s motive was political or if the incident was an attempted robbery.