Armed man arrested in front of German co-ruling CDU party headquarters

BERLIN

German police arrested an armed man in front of the headquarters of the co-governing Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, the daily BILD newspaper reported Tuesday, citing an unnamed police spokesperson.

The man was carrying a knife or sword and was seen by passersby on his way to the CDU headquarters in Berlin’s Mitte district on Monday evening.

At the same time, the man himself called the emergency number and announced his intention to commit suicide. He also mentioned explosives in his jacket.

Police cordoned off a large area around the site and tried to persuade the man to give himself up with specially trained negotiators. Finally, special police forces managed to overpower the man in front of the entrance to the CDU headquarters.

According to the report, the man is about 40 years old and speaks German. No further information about his identity or the weapon or weapons he was carrying is known at this time.