Bank Office Attacked in Southern Berlin, Perpetrator Inside With 2 People, Police Say

BERLIN (Sputnik) - A person attacked a bank office located at a mall in southern Berlin, the police said on Tuesday, adding that there were two people inside the office together with the perpetrator.

"We are near the Forum Kopenick trade centre on Bahnhofstrasse street. We received a phone call from a bank branch regarding a menacing situation. This led to a police operation. Forum Kopenick has been evacuated by now. There are 200 police officers working at the scene ... At the moment, we can say that there are three people in the bank, including the criminal, but we cannot say what his motives are," a police spokeswoman said.

2 held #hostage in Berlin bank, major police operation underway

#Köpenick

DETAILS: https://t.co/B13LiCXeCI pic.twitter.com/wAZUtFHawv

— Dr Tammi (@maNkomo16) October 6, 2020

News Alert: Hostage situation at a bank in #Köpenick, in southeast #Berlin , Germany. Police believe 3 employees are being held hostage in the bank. Around 200 police officers and special forces are at the scene.pic.twitter.com/8qszYNdqxT

— Shark NewsWires (@SharkNewsWires) October 6, 2020

She added that the police had made contact with the criminal, however, it was impossible to identify the other two as either hostages or associates at the time.

Earlier in the day, the police informed Sputnik about an armed bank robbery in Berlin's south-eastern Kopenick area.