German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said that he was left “speechless” by the shooting at a Jehovah’s Witness place of worship in his hometown of Hamburg and his thoughts went out to the victims and their relatives.
“We fear that further victims may die from their severe wounds,” he said, thanking security forces for their work.
The gunman who shot dead seven people at a Jehovah’s Witnesses centre in Hamburg before turning the gun on himself was a former member of the religious group, ac
Hamburg chief of police says the attacker was in legal possession of a semi-automatic pistol since December.
Ralf Martin Meyer added at a news conference that the perpetrator shot nine magazines of ammunition during the attack in Hamburg.
Authorities said 50 guests were attending the event in the building at the time of the attack.
Journalist Dagmar Gehm, reporting from Hamburg, says a news conference by the police is expected at 11:00 GMT probably to give more information on the attack.
“We don’t know the reason why the perpetrator attacked the members of the [Jehovah’s Witnesses] community,” she said.
“The community is known for their peaceful background. They are kind people,” she said.
The head of Germany’s GdP police union in Hamburg, Horst Niens, says he is convinced that the swift arrival of a special operations unit “dis
tives of the victims and to all our German friends. Our thoughts are with them,” Macron wrote on Twitter on Friday.
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