Police shoot dead man suspected of taking ex-girlfriend hostage

Police in the town of Jirkov in north Bohemia on Monday night shot dead a man who was holding a hostage, a spokesperson for the local force said. The man is reported to have held his victim, believed to be his former girlfriend, for two days and threatened to kill her. Police said they had suspected the man of rape, deprivation of liberty, blackmail and hostage taking. The case is now being investigated by the police’s internal affairs agency.