German police on Thursday detained a 20-year-old man after he fatally stabbed another man inside a bank branch in the southern city of Regensburg, in an incident that initially raised fears of a hostage-taking.
Special forces officers detained the German national inside the building about three hours after the incident was reported, a police statement said.
Paramedics had earlier managed to administer first aid to the victim before he was transferred to hospital, where he died. It remains unclear whether he was a customer or an employee of the bank.
Special forces officers wearing chain mail entered the building while the perpetrator was still inside and brought two other people to safety. They appeared to be unharmed and were cared for by crisis intervention teams.
Police said officers were continuing to search the building after the suspect’s detention, although there was no indication anyone else had been involved. “We currently assume this was the act of a lone perpetrator,” a police spokeswoman said.
The incident initially prompted fears that the attacker was holding people hostage, and police were unable to determine how many people remained inside the bank. Investigators are treating the case as homicide and robbery.