Lower Saxony
Man threatens employee in job center with toy gun
In view of the threat situation, the police are deployed with a large contingent at a job center in Lehrte. photo
© Moritz Frankenberg/dpa
A man with a gun triggered a major police operation in a job center in Lehrte. Now there is the all-clear: the weapon was not real. The police arrest him; there are said to be no accomplices.
A man is armed with a toy gun Lehrte’s job center in the Hanover region marched and triggered a massive police operation. “The suspect threatened both employees and frightened customers,” said police spokesman Dennis Diroll at the scene.
He did not provide any information about the man’s identity. The man was arrested fairly quickly and is said to have had no accomplices, as there were no other suspects. According to police, no one was injured. The background to the crime is still being investigated.
The surrounding area was cordoned off over a large area
The large-scale operation in the area of the job center on Burgdorfer Strasse in the city center began at 10:15 a.m. Initial reports of a possible hostage-taking were not confirmed. The area around the building in the city center was cordoned off to cars and buses and people should avoid the area, it said in a press release.
After the man’s arrest, officers took people out of the center and some were escorted to the nearby city library, a dpa reporter observed. The investigation was still ongoing and witnesses were questioned further in the afternoon. Pastors were also on duty for those affected. “Fortunately no people were hurt and there were no other suspects,” said a police spokeswoman in Hanover.
Large police force on duty
The police had combed the sprawling building, which also houses a savings bank, with a massive contingent of heavily armed forces. A special operations command (SEK) was not deployed, it was said. The local police confirmed that submachine guns, helmets and protective vests were part of the officers’ usual equipment due to the latent threat of terrorism. Half a dozen personnel carriers were temporarily parked in front of the center. It should be ruled out that there were other people involved.
The barriers at the site in the area of the job center were lifted at midday. According to authorities, security was restored. The police ended the large-scale operation and withdrew their forces in the afternoon.