Knife-wielding man holds passer-by hostage in Dudelange

A man armed with a knife in the centre of Dudelange on Thursday night was eventually arrested by police after holding a passer by hostage and previously injuring another man in a bar.

It was just before 9pm when a bar fight broke out in Rue Jean Jaurès which was reported to have escalated with a man brandishing a knife, injuring another customer on the hand. The cause of the  fight however is unknown.

The perpetrator then stormed out of the bar and randomly grabbed a passer-by threatening them by holding the knife to their throat.

Together with the hostage, the man moved into a doorway on Avenue de la Grande-Duchesse Charlotte.

All available police forces in the south of the country were dispatched to Dudelange as well as several patrols from the capital.

When the first patrol arrived the man was reported to have been extremely aggressive and the area was completely cordoned off to the public. Negotiators quickly arrived and attempted dialogue with the violent man.

After a struggle and fight with the police the man was eventually arrested and his hostage was uninjured.

“It took quite a while before we could overpower and handcuff the man” stated police spokesman Daniel Back to Luxemburger Wort.

Reports that the man was also carrying a gun, have not been confirmed, and his identity has not been released. The background circumstances surrounding the night's incidents remain a mystery.

An investigation has been launched.

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