German cinema gunman shot dead by police, no fatalities

A masked gunman opened fire on a cinema complex near Frankfurt in Germany and was shot dead by police. There were no fatalities but about 25 people were affected by CS tear-gas used by police.

The shooting was at a Kinopolis cinema complex in Vierheim, near Frankfurt. Bild newspaper reports that the gunman barricaded himself in the cinema.

Hesse state interior minister Peter Beuth confirmed at the gunman was shot after a police operation but could not confirm if the gun was a genuine firearm.

“The police thought that the gunman was holding hostages and because of that he was shot dead, Beuth said as reported by BBC News.

“The police had an emergency call at 2:45pm. The caller said there was a masked man... armed with a long gun. It is unclear whether it was a real gun.

"The caller heard four shots and said that the masked man appeared a little mentally unstable. Police special forces were called."

Darmstadter Echo editor Lars Henneman told BBC News the attacker was in a "state of confusion."

The gunman is yet to be identified and no motive has been reported.

Viernheim is small industrial town in Hesse in western Germany, with a population of over 33,000 people.