Updated: Eviction man guns down four people

A man facing eviction from his home has shot dead four people, including the new tenant, before killing himself.

The gunman had been due to be removed from the apartment in Karlsruhe, Germany for not paying the rent.

He shot dead a court bailiff, a locksmith, one other person and the woman who was due to move in.

Initially police thought he had taken some of the victims hostage and lay siege to the flat.

Eventually officers stormed the apartment and found the bodies, including that of the gunman, a spokesman said.

It was not clear whether police had ever managed to make any contact with the gunman before the hostages were killed.