Notorious German hostage taker to be released from prison

BERLIN – German authorities say that a man who was part of a notorious 1988 hostage taking in which two captives and a police officer were killed will soon be released from prison.

The dpa news agency reported Tuesday the Arnsberg state court said 61-year-old Dieter Degowski would be granted parole after serving nearly 30 years of a life sentence for murder, kidnapping and other charges.

Degowski and another man took two hostages during a bank robbery the western city of Gladbeck, starting a 54-hour ordeal in which they hijacked a bus with 30 people on board.

They were chased by police and reporters along the way, and the case created a major controversy in Germany, with police accusing news media of hindering the hijackers’ capture by interviewing them during the ordeal.