US soldier dead in Germany shootout

10:09:26 Þ.Ù
An American soldier who took his former live-in-companion hostage in the sleepy south German town of Altershausen, was fatally shot in a shootout with special police forces, news reports said Friday.

The 30-year-old unidentified soldier, tied up his ex-live-in-companion in her house and threatened to harm her, local police was quoted saying.

She managed to free herself and notify police, who then began a massive manhunt hunting for the armed trooper, using a helicopter with a thermal camera to locate him in an area near the apartment Friday morning.

After being surrounded, the soldier threatened police with a M4 rifle, police said.

Police commandos opened fire, critically injuring the soldier, who was rushed to a hospital in the nearby Schweinfurt, where he succumbed to his wounds a short while later, according to police.

The soldier was assigned to the American 1st Infantry Division's Dagger Brigade which returned from a 15-month tour of Iraq late last year.

Almost 60 troopers from the unit were killed in action during the deployment.

mk




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