The city center of Karlsruhe has been cordoned off due to the situation. There are reportedly several hostages in the local pharmacy, but the police have not specified the number of hostages.
21:01•Updated 22:14
There is a hostage situation in the German city of Karlsruhe, which has been going on for several hours. A large police operation is underway in the area.
According to German media, the kidnapper or kidnappers have several hostages in a local pharmacy. According to the police, they were not harmed.
Ztuttgarter Zeitung write (you switch to another service), that there would be two hostages. The newspaper also says that the kidnapper would demand millions of pounds from the hostages. The police have not confirmed the information.
According to media reports, the police have contact with the suspected kidnapper or kidnappers.
Although the police say there is no danger to bystanders from the situation, according to Reuters, they have cordoned off an area in the center of Karlsruhe and are asking people to stay away. The Ztuttgarter Zeitung writes that the police are constantly gathering more troops.
Bild (you switch to another service) analyze that the situation may last a long time. This could be explained by the fact that the police have arranged emergency accommodation for the residents of the neighborhood at a nearby school.
The news is updated.