Man Holds Woman Hostage in Berlin Supermarket

Shortly after 10 p.m., the suspect had taken the woman hostage at the Rewe supermarket in the Marienfelde neighborhood and threatened her, police spokesman Stefan Petersen-Schümann told the German Press Agency. “The operation is still ongoing,” he said around 4:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. The supermarket is located on Hildburghauser Strasse, at the corner of Tirschenreuther Ring.

"We are in contact with the hostage-taker, that man," Petersen-Schümann continued. He explained that there are emergency response teams who are specially trained to handle such incidents. Initially, nothing was known about the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Supermarket cordoned off over a large area

A large area around the supermarket has been cordoned off, according to a reporter on the scene. The Special Operations Unit (SEK) is positioned in front of the building. Numerous police vehicles, ambulances, and fire trucks are on the scene. Early this morning, officers set up a ladder against the building and looked inside the store, as a dpa reporter observed.

Behind the barrier, overlooking the market, several supermarket employees were waiting. They were wrapped in thin cloth blankets provided by emergency responders. According to dpa, they were inside the store at the time of the incident.

That night, the streets around the crime scene were nearly deserted. Only a few passersby were out and about. There is a gas station next to the supermarket.

Marienfelde is located in the Tempelhof-Schöneberg district on the southern outskirts of the capital, far from the hustle and bustle of Berlin. It is a quiet residential neighborhood characterized by single-family homes and multi-story apartment buildings. There are several schools and daycare centers in the area.