A hostage situation broke out near the main railway station in Cologne, German police confirmed, while local media say there is heavy presence of officers armed with submachine guns.
“We assume that a hostage has been taken, either at McDonald’s or at a nearby pharmacy,” a police spokeswoman told Reuters.
“A woman is probably being held but we don’t have any further details,” she added.
Im Bereich #BreslauerPlatz hat es eine #Geiselnahme gegeben. Die Polizei ist mit Einsatzkräften vor Ort und klärt die Situation. Bitte meiden Sie den Bereich. Folgen Sie uns hier für wichtige Infos.
— Polizei NRW K (@polizei_nrw_k) October 15, 2018
Police have cordoned off the entire area. Meanwhile, Bild reported that a counter-terrorism rapid response team are on their way to the scene.
As the situation develops, social media users started uploading photos of the Cologne station and its vicinity.
Shortly after police began evacuating the area, Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s leading railway company, announced that it suspended trains arriving to, or stopping at, the station. Later, it partially resumed railway services on a number of tracks.
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