German Police Shoot Dead Gentleman With Long Gun Who Took Hostages in Theater

[From article]

A masked gunman took hostages at a cinema in western Germany on Thursday before police stormed the complex and shot him dead, police said.
No other people were injured, a police spokesman said.
The attacker, who carried a rifle or "long gun", acted alone and appeared to be a "disturbed man", the interior minister of Hesse state, Peter Beuth, told the regional parliament.
Police have not identified the man or established his motive, spokesman Bernd Hochstaedter said, adding that nothing immediately pointed to him having a militant background.
German television showed pictures of heavily-armed police, wearing helmets and body armour, storming the Kinopolis complex in Viernheim, south of Frankfurt, and a couple fleeing the building.
Cinema employee Guri Blakaj told Reuters the gunman, who was aged about 18 to 25 and about 1.7 metres tall, entered the cinema at around 3 p.m. and told workers to go into an office.
He then went into a cinema theatre. Blakaj, who said there were about six staff and 30 cinemagoers in the building, then heard shots fired.
Police special forces stormed the building and shot the gunman.
[. . .]
Some 300 police officers and special forces were involved in the operation.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/armed-man-opens-fire-german-cinema-complex-50-143855941.html

Gunman takes hostages in German cinema, is shot dead by police
By Ralf Banser
June 23, 2016



* * *


The gunman barricaded himself inside the cinema.

(stock photo)

[From article]

A terrified worker at a German cinema has revealed how he mistook a gunman for a film fan wearing a costume before he opened fire and took them hostage.
Guri Blakaj initially dismissed the masked man who stormed the Kinopolis cinema complex in Viernheim, Western Germany, at about 3pm on Thursday carrying a gun and ammunition belt.
He believed the man he saw standing 'by the popcorn stand' to be a customer wearing a costume, complete with the belt of cartridges draped across his shoulder.
But then Blakaj, who was working the till at the time, realised it was 'something more serious'.
As his colleagues were told to lie down, Blakaj was ordered to close the doors to the cinema.
All the while, the gunman held his weapon to his head.
Blakaj, who was told to go and sit in his office after shutting the doors, said the man also shot at a colleague but didn't hit him.
'He seemed very confused, and was relatively young,' Blakaj said, adding he had asked if the man wanted money, to which he responded he didn't.
The assailant then went into one of the theatres. Blakaj, who said there were about six workers and 30 cinema-goers in the building, then heard shots fired. Other reports suggest there were about four shots fired in total.
Almir H., 16, said he was one of the hostages taken by the man in the cinema. He claimed he was locked in a toilet and said, in broken German: 'Lie down in here if you love your life.'
Police special forces later stormed the building and shot him the masked man.
Bild newspaper reported that a suicide vest and a hand grenade were found near the body of the dead man, although police have not confirmed this. Authorities have said, however, that the man was mentally disturbed and not linked with any terrorist group.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3656518/Gunman-opens-fire-German-cinema.html

'I saw German cinema shooter at the popcorn counter but thought he was a fan in costume until he opened fire': Witness describes terrifying ordeal after gunman let off tear gas and took hostages
Masked gunman opened fire at the Kinopolis cinema complex
Suspect was seen entering the cinema wearing a mask and munition belt
As people ran screaming he unleashed tear gas
Police received call saying there was a man 'armed with a long gun'
The cinema is located in the town of Viernheim, in Western Germany
By FLORA DRURY and SARAH DEAN FOR MAILONLINE and ALLAN HALL IN BERLINJune 23, 2016

Amarillo, Texas Police Shoot Dead Walmart Employee Who Took Hostages After Dispute

[From article]
Amarillo police say an armed Walmart employee likely upset for being passed over for a promotion took two people hostage before being shot and killed by officers inside the store near Interstate 27 and Georgia Street.
The man was identified by police as Mohammad Moghaddam, 54. The incident began around 11:06 a.m. and was over by 12:22 p.m.
Both hostages are safe.
According to police, the incident began with one or two gunshots believed to be fired into the ceiling by the checkout area. Moghaddam then took a manager and another employee hostage in a management area of the store.
At some point, SWAT officers entered the Walmart building.
Lt. Erick Bohannon, with the special crimes unit, said as the SWAT team was getting into place a hostage ran out of an office. Moghaddam pursued the hostage and ran into officers with a weapon still in his hand.
Two SWAT officers then opened fire and killed Moghaddam, Bohannon said.

http://amarillo.com/news/latest-news/2016-06-14/amarillo-police-responding-active-shooter-walmart

Walmart employee killed by police after taking hostages, gunshots
Posted: June 14, 2016 - 11:29am
By GLOBE-NEWS STAFF

* * *



[From article]
An armed, disgruntled employee of a Texas Walmart took two people hostage inside the superstore Tuesday morning before he was shot and killed by a SWAT team, police said.
Authorities responded to an “active shooter” situation with possible hostages at a Walmart in Amarillo, TX on Interstate 27 and Georgia Street at around 11 a.m. local time, officials said.
About two hours later, officers with the Amarillo Police Department shot and killed the gunman, identified as 54-year-old Mohammad Moghaddam, police said.
Police found two uninjured hostages with the gunman inside the chain store.
The Amarillo Police Department tweeted that the gunman was “shot by APD SWAT and is…dead. Hostages inside are safe.”
No one else was injured or killed besides Moghaddam.
Cops said there was a previous “work-related dispute” between Moghaddam and his manager who was one of the two hostages.
The official Twitter account for the city of Amarillo warned people to “avoid” the Walmart as the incident unfolded.
Witnesses told ABC 7 Amarillo that the shooter was an employee that took a colleague hostage, the news channel reported.
“As soon as we heard about the situation at our store in Amarillo, Texas, we acted immediately,” Walmart said in a statement.
“All customers and our two associates who were held hostage are safe. This was a very difficult situation and we are thankful for the quick response from law enforcement,” the statement read.

http://nypost.com/2016/06/14/amarillo-police-respond-to-armed-person-inside-a-walmart/

Gunman shot dead by cops after taking hostages in Walmart
By Sophia Rosenbaum and Natalie Musumeci
June 14, 2016 | 1:09pm | Updated
New York Post

* * *


Mohammad Moghaddam, 54, Walmart employee shot Dead by Police

[From article]
The gunman shot dead by police inside a Walmart in Texas has been identified as an employee at the store who had a work-related dispute with one of the people he took hostage.
Mhammad Moghaddam, 54, took two people hostage, including a manager with whom he had a work-related dispute, at the store in Amarillo, police said.
He was shot dead by SWAT team members on Tuesday afternoon, the Amarillo Police Department said. The two hostages were released and are not injured.
Police said their initial investigation indicates that there was a dispute between Moghaddam and management over a promotion.
Officers were dispatched to the Walmart at I-27 and Georgia Street on Canyon Drive on an active shooter call at 11.06am, the Amarillo Police Department said.
They determined that the suspect entered the store and fired at least one shot toward the ceiling.
The initial report to police said that he had taken a hostage and gone into an office at the back of the store.
Responding officers from multiple agencies arrived at the store and entered. Police confirmed that the suspect fired no further shots after the first one.
The SWAT continued a search of the store for the gunman, who had barricaded himself into the office.
At around 12.20pm, SWAT officers saw a person who they believed to be the only hostage come out of the office. Upon entering the room, they saw the second hostage.
‘The suspect was still armed with a handgun and was a threat to the hostage and the officers,’ a police spokesman said.
The officers fired shots, which hit the suspect. Police say he died immediately.
Both hostages were escorted to safety and examined by paramedics. Neither was injured.
Amarillo police officers, sheriff's deputies from Randall and Potter Counties, as well as Texas highway patrolmen were on the scene, officials said.
SWAT teams and bomb robots were also present. The store is closed as authorities continue their investigation.
APD’s Special Crimes Unit is handling the investigation as it is an officer-involved shooting, the department said.
Investigators have not determined how many shots were fired.
The two SWAT officers have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard protocol.
‘There is no indication that this had anything to do with terrorism or the shooting that happened over the weekend in Orlando,’ a statement from the Amarillo Police Department said.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3641366/Active-shooter-takes-hostages-Walmart-Amarillo-Texas.html

Gunman, 54, shot dead by SWAT team at a Texas Walmart was an employee who had work dispute with manager he took hostage
Mohammad Moghaddam took two people hostage on Tuesday
The 54-year-old was an employee at the store in Amarillo, Texas
One of the hostages was a manager that he had a work dispute with
The gunman was shot dead by responding SWAT team members
By ANTON NILSSON and KHALEDA RAHMAN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 11:59 EST, 14 June 2016 | UPDATED: 21:39 EST, 14 June 2016

House, Senate Bill Seeks White House Confirmation of Payment To Iran To Free US Navy Vessel

This frame grab from a Jan. 12, 2016, video by the Iranian state-run IRIB News Agency, shows detention of American Navy sailors by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in the Persian Gulf, Iran. 

(IRIB News Agency via AP) ** FILE **

[From article]
A bill aims to force the Obama administration to confirm within 60 days whether or not it gave a $1.7 billion “ransom payment” to Iran in January in exchange for 10 U.S. sailors captured in its waters.
The No Impunity for Iranian Aggression at Sea Act was filed jointly this week by two Republicans, Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, as a way of determining why $1.7 billion was released to Iran on Jan. 14. The payment was made one day after members of two U.S. Navy patrol boats were freed from captivity.
[. . .]
The legislation seeks to determine whether it was diplomacy or $1.7 billion in taxpayers’ cash that resolved the conflict. The White House maintains that payments to Iran were not linked to the sailors’ release.
“After the Iranians captured 10 U.S. Navy sailors, President Obama mentioned these brave men and women only in passing in his last State of the Union address,” Mr. Pompeo told the Free Beacon on Wednesday. “Since then, instead of investigating whether the Iranians violated the Geneva Convention and the right of innocent passage, the Obama administration has only offered apologies and then fired an American Naval officer. There has been no criticism of the Iranians, no public explanation of why these Americans were forced on their knees, hands on their heads, or why they were forced to confess — nothing from President Obama that would send a signal that this is an unacceptable way to treat American sailors.”
[. . .]
“I think that’s going to be huge cause for concern for most Americans. That’s why I’ve encouraged members of Congress to get that [classified military] briefing so they do know exactly what did take place.”
In addition to holding U.S. sailors captive, Iranian authorities forced the crew to apologize on state-run television. The service members strayed into Iranian waters when their navigational systems failed.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jun/1/mike-pompeo-john-cornyn-bill-to-force-obama-to-adm/

Bill would force Obama to admit to $1.7 billion ‘ransom payment’ to Iran
White House denies charge despite funds released 1 day after U.S. sailors freed by regime
By Douglas Ernst 

The Washington Times

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Family of Tennessee Banker Held Hostage. Forced to Rob His Own Bank

Tanner Harris, first vice president of SmartBank,in Tennessee forced to rob his own bank


[From article]
A Tennessee bank executive and his family were held hostage at gunpoint and he was forced to rob the bank where he works, according to reports.
Tanner Harris, first vice president of SmartBank, was held alongside his family inside their home in Knoxville.
Two masked men - armed with handguns and a rifle - blindfolded and handcuffed Mr Harris and his wife Abbey, The Knoxville News Sentinel reported.
They then forced the couple and their five-month-old son into the family car and drove them to the bank where Mr Harris works.
[. . .]
"The bank executive has access to [a] greater amount of funds within the bank, not just what's in the teller drawers, which is what your typical robber is going to get.
"It also prevents them from being on camera."
The suspects are were both white males. One was around 6ft 1in tall, while the other was 5ft 9ins with a stocky build.

http://news.sky.com/story/1516765/executive-forced-to-rob-bank-after-family-held

Executive Forced To Rob Bank After Family Held
Mark Tanner is made to take cash from the bank where he works as his wife and child are held at gunpoint in the family car.
13:22, UK, Friday 10 July 2015
By Sky News US Team

Middle East Muslim Terrorists Reportedly Repeatedly Rape, Murder American Woman Hostage, 27

[From article]
American hostage Kayla Mueller was repeatedly forced to have sex with Abu Bakr Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State group, U.S. intelligence officials told her family in June.
"They told us that he married her, and we all understand what that means," Carl Mueller, Kayla's father, told The Associated Press on Friday, which would have been his daughter's 27th birthday. Her death was reported in February.
Her mother, Marsha Mueller, added, "Kayla did not marry this man. He took her to his room and he abused her and she came back crying."
The news is but the latest in a litany of horrors perpetrated by the Islamic State group, which has beheaded, burned and crucified male captives while passing around women as sex slaves.
Mueller was held for a time by Islamic State financier Abu Sayyaf and his wife, known as Umm Sayyaf. Al-Baghdadi took Mueller as a "wife," repeatedly raping her when he visited, according to a Yazidi teenager who was held with Mueller and escaped in October 2014.
The 14-year-old made her way to Iraqi Kurdistan, where she talked to U.S. commandos in November 2014. Intelligence agencies corroborated her account and American officials passed it on to her parents in June.
[. . .]
Mueller was held with three other women, all Yazidis, the Muellers were told. All were sexually abused. When al-Baghdadi visited, he would take Mueller to his room, the witness told American officials. She would tell her fellow captives — sometimes tearfully — what had happened.
"Kayla tried to protect these young girls," her mother said. "She was like a mother figure to them."
When the teenaged Yazidi girl escaped with her sister, she asked Mueller to accompany her, the parents were told, but Kayla refused, worrying that her obvious Western appearance would lead to their capture.
By the time the Yadizi escapee reported the situation to Delta Force commandos in Iraq, Kayla had been moved, her parents were told.
[. . .]
Mueller, from Prescott, Arizona, was taken hostage with her boyfriend, Omar Alkhani, in August 2013 after leaving a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Aleppo, Syria, where he had been hired to fix the Internet service for the hospital.
Mueller had begged him to let her tag along because she wanted to do relief work in the war-ravaged country.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/08/14/islamic-state-leader-reportedly-raped-american-hostage/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fmost-popular+%28Internal+-+Most+Popular+Content%29

Islamic State leader reportedly raped American hostage
Published August 14, 2015
Associated Press
Fox News

Taxpayers Gave $5 billion To Free Suspected Traitor, Bergdahl

[From article]
Lt. Colonel Tony Shaffer, author of The Last Line, and Ret. Col. David Hunt joined Bill O’Reilly to give an update on the Bowe Bergdahl prisoner swap. Lt. Colonel Shaffer told Bill the Obama administration paid $5 billion and released five top Taliban Gitmo detainees in exchange for deserter Bowe Bergdahl.

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/12/shock-report-us-paid-5-billion-released-5-taliban-prisoners-for-deserter-bergdahl-video/

SHOCK REPORT: US Paid $5 Billion & Released 5 Taliban Prisoners For Deserter Bergdahl (Video)
Posted by Jim Hoft
on Monday, December 22, 2014, 7:40 AM

Cartier Jewelry Store Robbed in Paris

French police forces gather by a hairdresser salon in Paris' 15th arrondissement 
Photo: AFP/Getty

[From article]
Two men with an AK-47 robbed a Cartier jewellery store near Paris's Champs-Elysees on Tuesday, leading to a police chase and a brief hostage-taking when they sought refuge in a hair salon.
The suspects agreed to release the hostage and turn themselves in, with the entire drama lasting about two hours. Police recovered a cache of jewels the men had stolen.
One witness inside the Cartier store located in a busy touristic area said the two men, who did not seem "professional", burst in late in the day and forced the three customers inside and about 10 staff to lie down.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11254975/Cartier-jewellery-heist-in-Paris-sparks-police-chase-and-hostage-capture.html

Cartier jewellery heist in Paris sparks police chase and hostage capture
AK47-weilding suspects who hid in a hair salon turn themselves in and release hostages in a two-hour drama
By AFP
10:45AM GMT 26 Nov 2014

Obama's Rescued Hostage Unsympathetic

[From article]
he was “so scared” that he had already abandoned his unit once, and concluded: “AND I’LL RUN AWAY AGAIN IF I HAVE TO GO OUT THERE.”
Slovik was like Bradley Manning minus the lipstick and eyeliner.
A lieutenant, a company commander, and a judge advocate all tried to persuade Slovik to shred the letter and return to his unit, warning him that he’d be tried for desertion otherwise. Slovik refused.
In the middle of World War II, the military court-martialed Slovik, tried him, and sentenced him to death.
Allied Supreme Commander Dwight Eisenhower denied Slovik’s pardon request, saying it would encourage more desertions, just as the fighting was getting especially hot. Slovik was executed by firing squad and buried among the numbered graves of court-martialed rapists and murderers in an American military cemetery in France.
[. . .]
Three days before he walked off his base, Bergdahl emailed his parents:
– “I am ashamed to be an american.”
– “The US army is the biggest joke … It is the army of liars, backstabbers, fools and bullies.”
– “These people need help, yet what they get is the most conceited country in the world telling them that they are nothing and that they are stupid.”
– “The horror that is america is disgusting.”

http://www.humanevents.com/2014/06/04/bowe-bergdahl-just-deserts/

BOWE BERGDAHL, JUST DESERTS
By: Ann Coulter
6/4/2014 05:22 PM

Cleveland Women Hostages Treated Like POWs

[From article]
The basement where the women were held had chains coming from the wall, and dog leashes attached to the ceiling, the sources said.
Man of 'monster'?: A report says that Castro had no interest in having children with Michelle Knight, because she was only 4-foot-7 and believed her to be 'mentally disabled'
The women were restrained with them and duct tape in 'stress positions' for long periods that left them with bed sores and other injuries,
[. . .]
Knight told investigators she fell pregnant five times, but lost the baby each time. She said that Castro starved and repeatedly punched her in the stomach to force her to miscarry.
[. . .]
'If he left for long periods of time he would sometimes duct tape-up the women over all parts of their faces, even their eyes, only leaving an opening so they could breathe. Then he would just rip it off pulling off skin and hair,' one of the sources said.
A police report said Knight was starved for weeks at a time and punched in the stomach to induce several miscarriages. A county prosecutor intends to file fetal homicide charges against Castro in connection with the miscarriages.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2324731/It-like-prisoners-war-Cleveland-women-suffer-injuries-severe-malnutrition-including-hearing-loss-muscle-damage.html

'It was like they were prisoners of war:' Gina DeJesus cannot move her head after being chained up with Michelle Knight in basement for years, say medics
The basement where the women were held had chains coming from the wall, and dog leashes attached to the ceiling, according to police sources
Description comes as lawyers for Castro announce that he will plead not guilty to kidnapping and rape charges
The women were restrained with them and duct tape in 'stress positions' for long periods that left them with bed sores and other injuries
Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were in worse condition than Amanda Berry with the source saying: 'There is a reason why you have only seen a picture of Amanda
Abductor would duct tape the women over all parts of their faces, even their eyes, only leaving an opening so they could breathe
Former daughter-in-law Monica Stephens says Castro always gave her 'the heebie-jeebies'
The women, especially DeJesus and Knight, were now exhibiting signs of malnutrition as Ariel Castro used food as a means to torment them
Daily Mail (UK)
By REUTERS REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 23:22 EST, 14 May 2013 | UPDATED: 10:22 EST, 15 May 2013

Hostage Taker at Hillary Clinton Campaign Office Escaped, Captured

Leeland Eisenberg, 52, escaped from half way house in Manchester NH, 53 short miles from the exciting environs of Cambridge MA. Captured.

Was this guy working for Obama?

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/04/man_who_took_hostages_at_clinton_office_arrested


Man who took hostages at Clinton office arrested
Monday, April 8, 2013
Boston Herald
By: Colneth Smiley Jr


* * *
http://news.yahoo.com/hostage-taker-clintons-2007-campaign-office-escapes-033119952.html

Hostage-taker at Clinton's 2007 campaign office escapes
Reuters
April 8, 2013

Hostages of Somalia Pirates Speak

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2255386/They-cut-ears-tied-upside--harrowing-true-story-kidnapped-Somali-pirates.html

They cut his ears off and tied him upside down – harrowing true story
of being kidnapped by Somali pirates
The men lived in fear for nearly three years, but have now spoken out
about their harrowing ordeal
MV Iceberg One cargo ship was hijacked as it set off in March 2010
When the ransom money did not arrive, torture sessions were increased
By JILL REILLY
Daily Mail (UK)
PUBLISHED: 12:05 EST, 31 December 2012 | UPDATED: 06:24 EST, 1 January 2013

American Jewish Peace Corpsman Held Hostage in Pakistan

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/al-qaeda-releases-video-american-hostage/story?id=17221075#.UFEK8t00jDo

Al Qaeda Releases New Video of American Hostage
By MUHAMMAD LILA (@muhammadlila) and RANDY KREIDER
Sept. 12, 2012

Disabled Man Held In Basement for Social Security Checks

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/09/05/police-63-year-old-man-held-captive-in-basement-for-social-security-checks/

Police: 63-Year-Old Disabled Man Held Captive In Basement For Social Security Checks
September 5, 2012 8:19 PM
CBS News Philadelphia PA

Woman Charged for Imprisoning Vulnerable For SSA Money

[From article]
"Police are investigating claims that Weston was the ringleader in a plot to cash benefit checks intended for those imprisoned victims -- and for as many as 50 other people.
The court papers show that Weston served only four years of her 1983 third-degree murder conviction for killing Ramos, who was the boyfriend of her sister, Venus Weston."

ZUMAPRESS.com

Linda Ann Weston

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/philadelphia_dungeon_suspect_was_U1W1LCDNCe8j44KZo0Z3TJ

Philadelphia dungeon suspect was 'ringleader' in 1981 murder
MYFOXPHILLY/NEWSCORE
New York Post
Last Updated: 9:19 AM, October 26, 2011
Posted: 8:45 AM, October 26, 2011

Police Delay Caused Deaths

[From article]
[Video embedded]
"But cops in wealthy Cheshire, Conn., failed to immediately chase Hawke-Petit's car -- despite getting a description and the direction it was headed from the teller, according to shocking testimony yesterday.

They wasted more than half an hour assessing the situation and setting up a vehicle perimeter -- time the two attackers used to strangle the mother in her living room and set the gasoline-fueled fire that claimed the lives of the two girls upstairs.
[. . .]
By the time firetrucks arrived, a full 40 minutes had elapsed since the valiant mother stood before the bank teller, composedly telling her tale of horror."

POLICE WHISTLE: A doomed Jennifer Hawke-Petit (above) tells bank manager Mary Lyons that her family is being held hostage. She had minutes earlier asked a teller to call 911. She later leaves with ransom cash.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/teller_urgent_bid_to_save_lives_WpERoX8jNoyGlWbq4j06hP

Teller's urgent bid to save lives
Cops' tragic delay in Connecticut clan slay
By LAURA ITALIANO,
New York Post Correspondent
Last Updated: 3:25 PM, September 16, 2010
Posted: 2:59 AM, September 16, 2010

Environmental Wacko Takes Hostages Killed by Police

[Video embedded]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/gunman-enters-discovery-channel-headquarters-employees-evacuated/story?id=11535128&page=1

Environmental Militant Killed by Police at Discovery Channel Headquarters
Police Say All Hostages Are Safe, Gunman James Lee Shot Dead
ABC News
By LAUREN EFFRON and RUSSELL GOLDMAN
Sept. 1, 2010