Armed man barricades himself at German restaurant

An armed man has barricaded himself at a restaurant in western Germany after a series of terrorist crimes rocked the European country.

Police in the western city of Saarbruecken said Sunday that the man, who had a weapon, entered the restaurant earlier in the morning and sent all the cleaning staff outside.

The Bild newspaper said the unidentified man ran into the Dubrovnik restaurant in the town center and shouted that everyone should leave.

Police spokesman, Kurt Schwindling, said the man was a relative of the restaurant owner, adding that he was probably suffering from psychological problems. Others said he was originally from Macedonia but has lived in Germany for many years.

It was not clear what kind of weapon the man had and there was no indication why he was injured.

Other sources said police managed to initiate a conversation with the man and efforts were going on to convince him to end the standoff.

Officials denied the case could be a terrorism case, saying the man had not held any hostages. Witnesses said the man was drenched in blood when he initiated the standoff.

SS