A gunman was shot dead by police in Germany on Thursday after he attempted to take several people hostage in a cinema.

In what appeared to be a remarkable police operation, none of the hostages were injured.

The German authorities said the gunman, who has not been identified, was “disturbed” and there was no initial evidence of a link to terrorism.

But police were reportedly investigating an explosive vest and a hand grenade found on his body to see if they were genuine.

There was no word on the hostage-taker’s ethnicity or background. Witnesses described him as being between 18 and 25 years old.

He was armed with a “rifle or long gun” and reportedly fired four shots in the air as he entered the cinema in Viernheim, a small town south of Frankfurt.