Police forces have managed to resolve the hostage situation in the German city of Wismar at the local Foreigners' Authority, where a refugee from Africa, allegedly of Ghanaian origin, had been holding an infant hostage for around five hours. A special ops unit has freed the infant and detained the man. The toddler reportedly remained unharmed and was taken into care.
According to the latest information, the infant could be the man's own child, which he was using as a means to exert pressure on the authorities to let him stay in Germany. The man was reportedly unarmed.
The police cordoned off the building and were conducting negotiations with the man since 14:30 local time. All employees at the Foreigners' Authority office left the building, according to the head of local administration, Kerstin Weiss. The infant's state was being monitored by a doctor at all times, as his alleged parent was trying to convince authorities to conduct a parenthood test that would essentially save him from being expelled from Germany.
Germany has seen a major influx of migrants from the Middle East and Africa ever since Chancellor Angela Merkel announced her "open doors" policy. This led to several major protests in Germany after multiple incidents involving newcomers resulted in injuries or deaths among the locals. One of the biggest protests rocked the city of Chemnitz in the summer of 2018.
