German police stand in front of the "Altmarkt Galerie" shopping mall in the center of the city of Dresden
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)A man was shot dead by police during a hostage situation at a shopping centre in Germany.
Police had urged people to avoid an area in the city centre and ordered Dresden’s Christmas market to remain closed while the operation was under way.
Shortly after midday, police announced on Twitter that the hostage situation was over. “Two outwardly uninjured people are in our care,” they said.
Radio Dresden reported that a gunman had tried to enter a building where the broadcaster is based, near the city’s main train station.
The man reportedly fired several shots before fleeing, according to reports.
German authorities said the man, 40, was psychologically confused and appeared to be acting alone.
"I am outraged by the act of what appears to be a psychologically confused individual acting alone," said Armin Schuster, the interior minister of the state of Saxony.
News outlet TAG24 reported that the man is suspected of killing his 62-year-old mother in an apartment building in the Prohlis district of Dresden earlier in the day.
Police said it was re-opening Dresden city centre although the mall would remain closed.
"All-clear! The hostage situation in #Dresden is over!" police said on Twitter.
