Gunman dead after storming Estonia defense HQ

TALLINN, Estonia - A gunman stormed into the Estonian Defense Ministry in downtown Tallinn, fired shots and tried to take hostages, police said Thursday.

The suspect died, though an official at the country's Security Police refused to say how that had happened. The official also decline comment on reports in Estonian media that the gunman had committed suicide or been shot by police.

Martin Jasko, a spokesman for the government, said all employees had evacuated the building and police have cordoned off the surrounding area.

A reporter for the Delfi news website said from the scene that there had been shots approximately 20 minutes apart and that two people jumped through a window and ran away after the second shot.

Hannes Kont, the director of press at Defense Ministry, told The Associated Press that the minister, Mart Laar, was not in the building when the shooting started.