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Merkel cancels election rally after hostage taking
A German special police force officer prepares for a hostage situation in Ingolstadt August 19, 2013. REUTERS-Michael Dalder
MUNICH | Mon Aug 19, 2013 7:27am EDT
(Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel was forced to cancel an election rally in the southern German city of Ingolstadt on Monday after a man took several people hostage in the town hall hours before she was due to speak.
Police said they were in contact by telephone with the man who described himself as armed but had not made any demands. There was no sign of a connection with Merkel's visit, they added.
Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) issued a statement saying her pre-election rally with Horst Seehofer, head of the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU), had been called off. Germany holds a federal election on September 22 and Bavaria a regional vote one week before that.
"The reason for this is the hostage taking in Ingolstadt," the CDU said of the cancellation.
Authorities evacuated the town hall and closed off the immediate area. Television footage showed emergency vehicles waiting outside the building.
According to the city's website the town hall is a 14th century building, home to the mayor, some administrative posts and the tourist office. Ingolstadt, a city of roughly 125,000 near Munich, is best known as the home of Audi, the luxury unit of German carmaker Volkswagen.
(Reporting by Jens Hack; Writing by Alexandra Hudson; Editing by Noah Barkin)
German special police forces arrive to attend a hostage situation, in Ingolstadt August 19, 2013.
REUTERS/Michael Dalder
German special police forces arrive to attend a hostage situation, in Ingolstadt August 19, 2013.
REUTERS/Michael Dalder
Emergency vehicles stand in a cordoned off street in front of the town hall (background) during a hostage situation
in Ingolstadt August 19, 2013. REUTERS/Michael Dalder
City Hall standoff: Man takes hostages in Bavarian town ahead of Merkel visit
Published time: August 19, 2013 09:38
The City Hall at Ingolstadt
Several people have been taken hostage by an unidentified man inside the City Hall in Ingolstadt, southern Germany.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has cancelled her visit to the city for an elections rally in the wake of the hostage-taking.
Police spokesman Guenther Beck said the hostages were being held on the second floor of the city hall and that they were in contact with the hostage-taker.
Some reports have emerged in German media that the third mayor of Ingolstadt, Sepp Misslbeck, is among the hostages, but this has not been confirmed by law enforcement.
Officers say the hostage-taker is armed and they have evacuated the area around the building as a precautionary measure.
German paper Donaukurier writes that the perpetrator may be a 23-year-old man who was issued with a restraining order for stalking a 25-year-old-woman who works at the city hall.
Germany will hold national election on September 22 and Merkel was due in the city for a campaign rally this afternoon.
