World IN BRIEF : GERMANY : Police Storm House, Free 7 Held Hostage

Commandos overpowered one of Germany’s most notorious criminals and freed seven relatives that he had threatened to kill during a daylong ordeal in a rural village. Norbert Hagner, 45, had spent 11 years in jail for bank robberies and kidnappings in the 1970s and ‘80s that netted about $2.7 million. He was freed in 1994. Local newspapers said Hagner had returned seeking revenge on his ex-wife for allegedly tipping off police about a robbery he committed in 1981. Police said that, as Hagner started rounding up family members, one woman escaped and told police. After 20 hours of telephone negotiations, 70 commandos stormed his ex-wife’s house in Leienkaul.