NEWS: Another Gun/school incident in Germany...

Armando B · October 18, 2002, 01:55 PM

Here we go again....a German kid takes hostages at gunpoint at a local school.....

More fuel for the anti-gun crowd.....of course, Germany just tightened up their gun laws, so I'd like to see what their next step will be.

Gunman Takes 4 Hostages in Germany
By OLIVER SCHMALE, Associated Press Writer

WAIBLINGEN, Germany (AP) - A teenage gunman took four youngsters hostage Friday at a school in southwestern Germany and demanded $1 million ransom, police said. SWAT teams surrounded the building.

About 100 students were in the Friedensschule, or Peace School, when a 16-year-old former student walked in and sat down in a second-floor computer room around 2:30 p.m., witnesses and police said. Minutes later, he stood up and pulled out a handgun, they said.

Students said he warned them to remain calm and then gave a mobile phone number to a teacher. He sent her and all but four students out of the room and made them close the curtains before calling police.

"He said, 'If you don't keep quiet something will happen,'" said Marc, an 11-year-old student.

With no shots fired, it was not clear whether the gun was loaded or a toy. Students said the gunman was able to enter unnoticed because it was fairly common for young people to sit down at unoccupied computers.

Police spokesman Thomas Keller described the hostage-taker as making "a calm impression" while talking with police. He demanded cash and a getaway vehicle during negotiations, Keller said.

The hostages were all sixth-graders, around 12 years old, he said.

Police said they hope to resolve the standoff at the grade 1-10 school just outside Stuttgart without violence.

"We will do everything we can to solve this peacefully, without using force. And for that negotiations with the suspect are needed," police spokesman Uwe Bieler told N24 television.

In April, a 19-year-old former student killed himself and 16 other people in an attack inside a school in Erfurt, in eastern Germany. Thirteen of the dead were teachers. In the outrage that followed, parliament passed a bill in June to tighten German gun laws.

another okie · October 18, 2002, 08:54 PM

This occurred just east of Stuttgart. It is now resolved without any injuries. The guy was a former student, and the police just waited him out. Apparently he said he wanted revenge, but then allowed anyone was afraid to leave. The newspaper Die Welt credits the police tactics of "Zermürbungstaktik," a word I had never seen before, which apparently means wearing him down.

October 18, 2002, 01:55 PM	#1
Armando B Senior Member Join Date: January 13, 2002 Location: Western North Carolina Posts: 162	NEWS: Another Gun/school incident in Germany... Here we go again....a German kid takes hostages at gunpoint at a local school..... More fuel for the anti-gun crowd.....of course, Germany just tightened up their gun laws, so I'd like to see what their next step will be. Gunman Takes 4 Hostages in Germany By OLIVER SCHMALE, Associated Press Writer WAIBLINGEN, Germany (AP) - A teenage gunman took four youngsters hostage Friday at a school in southwestern Germany and demanded $1 million ransom, police said. SWAT teams surrounded the building. About 100 students were in the Friedensschule, or Peace School, when a 16-year-old former student walked in and sat down in a second-floor computer room around 2:30 p.m., witnesses and police said. Minutes later, he stood up and pulled out a handgun, they said. Students said he warned them to remain calm and then gave a mobile phone number to a teacher. He sent her and all but four students out of the room and made them close the curtains before calling police. "He said, 'If you don't keep quiet something will happen,'" said Marc, an 11-year-old student. With no shots fired, it was not clear whether the gun was loaded or a toy. Students said the gunman was able to enter unnoticed because it was fairly common for young people to sit down at unoccupied computers. Police spokesman Thomas Keller described the hostage-taker as making "a calm impression" while talking with police. He demanded cash and a getaway vehicle during negotiations, Keller said. The hostages were all sixth-graders, around 12 years old, he said. Police said they hope to resolve the standoff at the grade 1-10 school just outside Stuttgart without violence. "We will do everything we can to solve this peacefully, without using force. And for that negotiations with the suspect are needed," police spokesman Uwe Bieler told N24 television. In April, a 19-year-old former student killed himself and 16 other people in an attack inside a school in Erfurt, in eastern Germany. Thirteen of the dead were teachers. In the outrage that followed, parliament passed a bill in June to tighten German gun laws.

October 18, 2002, 08:54 PM	#2
another okie Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2001 Posts: 274	This occurred just east of Stuttgart. It is now resolved without any injuries. The guy was a former student, and the police just waited him out. Apparently he said he wanted revenge, but then allowed anyone was afraid to leave. The newspaper Die Welt credits the police tactics of "Zermürbungstaktik," a word I had never seen before, which apparently means wearing him down.