Special forces arrest man who barricaded himself in German town hall with flammable liquid

The incident

On Tuesday, a 47-year-old Romanian man barricaded himself inside a room at the Rathaus in Lengerich, near Münster, together with two municipal employees. He doused himself with a flammable liquid and, according to early reports cited by Bild, may have held a lighter. A police spokesperson later confirmed the suspect was known to authorities and that the two employees were unharmed.

Police operation

A large deployment of police and fire services sealed off the town hall and surrounding streets. Special forces entered the building and overpowered the man. No one else was injured; the suspect sustained minor injuries from the liquid and was taken to hospital. A police spokeswoman said there was no danger to the public.

Aftermath

The town hall was evacuated during the operation and remained closed for the rest of the day. Media reports indicated that employees of the social services department were not allowed to return to their desks. The investigation into the motive is ongoing.