By IRNA
Berlin : A US 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.
US Army officials refused to say if the soldier had deployed to Iraq with the unit.