Several people were killed and others were seriously injured in a shooting at a Jehovah’s Witness hall in Hamburg on Thursday night, according to police.
“We believe there is a criminal,” police said in a statement Friday morning.
Police said they received a report of shots fired at 9 p.m. local time in the northern port city where Chancellor Olaf Scholz previously served as mayor and his predecessor Angela Merkel was born. local media informed of that either six or seven people were killed during an event for Jehovah’s Witnesses. A shot was fired after officers arrived at the scene and found a fatally wounded man on the top floor of the building who may have been the shooter, although this is still not certain, according to reports.
the police said Twitter that the motivation for the attack was still under investigation and urged people not to spread rumors online.
officials initially sent a Warning Locals are being advised to avoid the area and stay indoors temporarily.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote Twitter Friday morning, “Bad news from Hamburg. Several members of Jehovah’s congregation were victims of a brutal act of violence last night. My thoughts are with him and his loved ones. And with the security forces who have got a tough job.
Secretary of the Interior Nancy Fazer Said The investigation into the attack was underway at “full speed”.
mayor of hamburg peter chencher called “Shocking” news: “My deepest condolences are with the relatives of the victims,” Tsentscher tweeted. “Emergency services are working intensively to trace the perpetrators and clarify the background.”
This article has been updated.