ABreathe a sigh of relief in the fan-shaped city: the police in Karlsruhe arrested a suspect after a hostage-taking – almost five hours after the crime began. A police spokesman for the FAZ confirmed that the surrounding apartments in the house and the basement of the building are still the subject of forensic investigations. The police wanted to rule out that possible accomplices could hide from the officers.
The perpetrator, who is known to the police, is said to have taken eleven hostages into his power in the meantime, the police confirmed late in the evening. The hostages are said to be unharmed. However, the number of hostages does not seem to be very clear: the police are currently investigating whether one of the hostages might not be an accomplice.
The arrested man is a 20-year-old German man with a criminal record and a history of property crime and violence to the police. His motive for the hostage-taking on Friday evening has so far remained unclear. It also remains to be clarified whether the hostage-taker had actually demanded a ransom of seven million euros for the release of the hostages. The “Stuttgarter Nachrichten” had reported this in the course of the evening. A police spokesman could not confirm this to the FAZ. According to the newspaper, the man is said to have been armed with a firearm.
“From 4:23 p.m., the police received emergency calls about an ongoing hostage situation in a pharmacy on Ettlinger Strasse in Karlsruhe. The first police forces arrived at the scene at 4:25 p.m.,” the police wrote in a report. The police had contact with the hostage-taker several times and tried several times to start negotiations, it is said. At 9:10 p.m., a special unit then entered the building. The suspect was arrested at the time. The Reuters news agency streamed what was happening behind the barrier. In the meantime, 15 ambulances and other emergency vehicles from the fire brigade were on site. Special forces were also called in.
Raid just a few weeks ago
The pharmacy is located on Ettlinger Strasse in the city centre. The affected area near the fairground was cordoned off over a large area. The pharmacy was only attacked in January: According to dpa, a masked robber got into the personnel area, threatened an employee with a saw-like tool and fled with a liter of methadone. A few days later, a suspect was identified in this case. He was arrested.
Police spokesman Kai Lampe said there was no danger to the population during the hostage-taking. Local residents have been asked to avoid the area. Major events on the fairground were canceled for the evening.