An armed man was shot dead by police in a German movie theater after reportedly firing his gun at least once, according to local reports.
German media reported that the masked man was seen carrying a gun and wearing an ammunition belt.
He is believed to have fired his gun into the air four times as he entered the cinema.
Police said that no-one inside was injured by the armed man.
Heavily armed police, wearing helmets and body armour, were seen storming the Kinopolis complex as a couple fled the building.
Germany’s Interior Ministry confirmed that the gunman has been shot dead.
The gunman had a rifle or “long gun” and special forces intervened and shot him, interior minister Peter Beuth told the Hesse state parliament.
He said that the gunman appeared to be “a disturbed man”.
Up to 50 people were said to have been injured by tear gas, according to local media.
The area around the cinema was cordoned off as elite German police attended.
A police spokeswoman at the scene, Christiane Kompus, told reporters that she had no information on the assailant’s identity and motives.
She said the man had been holding several hostages but didn’t have a precise number.
Agencies/Canadajournal