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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMurder and Mayhem in Karlsruhe Germany - 5 dead
Up to five people are reported dead in a hostage-taking in Karlsruhe, southwest Germany.
The hostage-taker is believed to be among those killed, police told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
He is said to have been facing eviction from his apartment after failing to pay rent.
Officials were sent to evict him this morning and were greeted with multiple gunshots, the Associated Press reported. The man also claimed to have a hand grenade, one witness told Die Welt.
The gunman is believed to have forced the bailiff, a locksmith, the apartment block caretaker and the property owner into his property, though their identities have not yet been confirmed.
Special forces were sent to the scene and attempted to contact the hostage-taker, Karlsruhe police spokesman Juergen Scheufer told the AP. It is not known whether they succeeded.
Commandos eventually stormed the apartment after smelling smoke, according to Reuters.
They first saw four dead bodies inside; another, that of a woman thought to be the apartment owner, was discovered upon searching the property, said Agence France Presse.
All the victims died of gunshot wounds, DPA reported.
Police are still investigating what happened. They are due to give more details at a press conference later today.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/germany/120704/germany-hostage-taking-4-killed-karlsruhe
I talked to my Mom, 88, who lives in Karlsruhe around the corner from where this happened. She drove to Aldi's this morning to go shopping and found herself in the middle of this. She said she had never seen so many police in her life, and not knowing what was wrong she kept looking around and saw policemen in the trees.
She said at first she figured that they were hired to trim the trees safely.
Bet no American would think this as the first possibility. Yes, I know what you are thinking, but her mind is as sharp as yours
An occurrence like this mass murder is rare in Germany, for which I am grateful.
dionysus
(26,467 posts)Mira
(22,380 posts)Then they branched out.
dionysus
(26,467 posts)bags and had a whole cart worth of stuff rolling around inside my car on the way home...
TheMightyFavog
(13,770 posts)The name is an acronym, not a possessive.
Sorry, for some reason this is kind of a pet peeve of mine
dionysus
(26,467 posts)Dalai_1
(1,301 posts)bluedigger
(17,087 posts)That is a pretty unusual event there.
oneshooter
(8,614 posts)JackRiddler
(24,979 posts)Mira
(22,380 posts)MissHoneychurch
(33,600 posts)Since the shooter was from France, they are trying to find out if he had a permit in France and how he got his hands on so many weapons.
This can happen anywhere unfortunately, depending on one's mental state.
MissHoneychurch
(33,600 posts)it is a horrible thing that happend in Karlsruhe. The shooter destroyed so many lifes beside the ones he took by shooting them. How desperate and without hope has one to be to shoot people?
meaculpa2011
(918 posts)is rare in Germany, for which I am grateful"
Huh?????????