title: Obama briefed on man who took hostages in German cinema: White House
text: ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - The White House said on Thursday that President Barack Obama had been briefed about a masked man who took hostages at a cinema in western Germany and was later killed by police. White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters that U.S. officials were in contact with their German counterparts about the situation, but had no further details. 