Cologne hostage situation: Suspect and female hostage injured as German police end train station stand-off
A woman has been injured after being taken hostage by an armed man in the German city of Cologne.
Police evacuated the main railway station after the attack was launched inside a pharmacy.
A spokesperson for Cologne police said the suspect had been “brought under control”.
“The culprit was seriously injured during the access operation and is currently being resuscitated,” he added.
“A female hostage is lightly wounded and being treated”.
The railway station, which is a busy hub for services across Germany and Europe and surrounding areas of Breslauer Platz remained closed.
Some witnesses initially reported the sound of gunshots but police later confirmed that there had been no gunshots and no deaths at that point in the operation.
A statement added: “The background to the hostage-taking is currently unclear. We are pursuing all avenues of investigation.”
Police appealed for people to wait for official information rather than spreading “rumours and speculation”.
Photos showed armed police officers at the scene, as thousands of passengers and employees were moved out of the station.
