Hostage situation ended in German city of Dresden

Police vehicles parked around a cordoned off area at the Altmarktgalerie after a hostage situation in Dresden, Germany ((Jorg Schurig/dpa via AP)

German police say they have ended a hostage situation in the eastern city of Dresden after reports of shots being fired.

Officers had urged people to avoid an area in the city centre on Saturday morning and ordered the Christmas market to remain closed while the operation was under way.

Shortly after noon police announced on Twitter that the hostage situation was over. “Two outwardly uninjured people are in our care,” they added.

Police vehicles at the Altmarktgalerie in Dresden (Jorg Schurig/dpa/AP)

It was not immediately clear if a suspect had been arrested.

Radio Dresden reported that a gunman had earlier tried to enter a building where the broadcaster is based, near the city’s main train station.

The man reportedly fired several shots before fleeing, according to Radio Dresden.

Police separately confirmed that a 62-year-old woman had been found dead in another part of the city on Saturday. Her 40-year-old son was named as a suspect.

Police declined to confirm whether there was a connection between the killing and the hostage-taking.