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A masked gunman has been shot dead during a siege at a cinema in west Germany.

The armed man is said to have barricaded himself in the Kinopolois cinema in Viernheim near Frankfurt this afternoon.

German media reported that the masked man was seen carrying a gun and wearing an ammunition belt.

He is believed to have fired his gun into the air four times as he entered the cinema.

Police said that no-one inside was injured by the armed man.

Heavily armed police, wearing helmets and body armour, were seen storming the Kinopolis complex as a couple fled the building.

Germany's Interior Ministry confirmed that the gunman has been shot dead.

The gunman had a rifle or "long gun" and special forces intervened and shot him, interior minister Peter Beuth told the Hesse state parliament.

He said that the gunman appeared to be "a disturbed man".

Up to 50 people were said to have been injured by tear gas, according to local media.

The area around the cinema was cordoned off as elite German police attended.

Viernheim shooting 6 show all Viernheim shooting 1/6 Heavily-armed police outside a movie theatre complex where an armed man has reportedly opened fire Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images 2/6 A person escapes from a movie theatre complex Kinopolis, where an armed man reportedly opened fire Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images 3/6 Heavily-armed police outside a movie theatre complex where an armed man has reportedly opened fire Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images 4/6 Heavily-armed police outside a movie theatre complex where an armed man has reportedly opened fire Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images 5/6 Heavily-armed police outside a movie theatre complex where an armed man has reportedly opened fire Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images 6/6 Heavily-armed police outside a movie theatre complex where an armed man has reportedly opened fire Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images 1/6 Heavily-armed police outside a movie theatre complex where an armed man has reportedly opened fire Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images 2/6 A person escapes from a movie theatre complex Kinopolis, where an armed man reportedly opened fire Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images 3/6 Heavily-armed police outside a movie theatre complex where an armed man has reportedly opened fire Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images 4/6 Heavily-armed police outside a movie theatre complex where an armed man has reportedly opened fire Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images 5/6 Heavily-armed police outside a movie theatre complex where an armed man has reportedly opened fire Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images 6/6 Heavily-armed police outside a movie theatre complex where an armed man has reportedly opened fire Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images

A police spokeswoman at the scene, Christiane Kompus, told reporters that she had no information on the assailant's identity and motives.

She said the man had been holding several hostages but didn't have a precise number.