Shots fired near Berlin's Checkpoint Charlie

Police in the Germany capital of Berlin said they were responding to reports of shots fired in the Friedrichstrasse area in the center of the city.

According to local media, the shots were related to a robbery that occurred at a Starbucks near Checkpoint Charlie, the landmark that marks a watchtower and guardhouse that was used to patrol the Berlin Wall. It's a popular tourist area and was likely to be especially full during the holiday season.

The Berlin police force tweeted that they could not confirm that shots had been fired after questioning of witnesses and carrying out an inspection of the entire building on Friedrichstrasse, but they are continuing to look into the incident.

Authorities had earlier said they had the situation under control and that they were searching for an unknown assailant, who is believed to have fled the scene.

Security services have cordoned off the area around the Friedrichstrasse and Kochstrasse intersection and trains are no longer stopping at Kochstrasse metro station.