Status: 03/10/2023 02:18 am
Several people were shot dead in Hamburg on Thursday evening, and others were injured, some seriously. The police classified the act as an amok act. The shots were fired at a Jehovah’s Witnesses event. The perpetrator is believed to be among the dead.
A large-scale situation was triggered by the police and rescue services, and according to the interior authorities, special forces are also deployed. The street Deelböge and the surrounding area in the districts of Groß Borstel, Alsterdorf and Eppendorf are affected. Even after midnight, a helicopter with a thermal imaging camera was still circling over the affected parts of the city.
Media reports: At least six dead and eight injured
According to the police, an unknown perpetrator probably shot people in a building around 9 p.m. “The dead all have gunshot wounds,” confirmed a spokesman. According to media reports, six or seven people were shot and at least eight others injured. The police have not yet released exact figures for the deaths and injuries.
It is also unclear how many people were in the building at the time of the crime and whether they were holding a church service or a community meeting. According to the Jehovah’s Witnesses website, one of two weekly meetings was scheduled for Thursday evening.
Perpetrators probably among the dead
The crime scene is a three-story commercial building located on a wide street and next to a painting company and a construction site with three large cranes. After officers arrived at the scene, another shot was fired, police said. Later they have one on an upper floor of the building inanimate person found. It is assumed that it is a perpetrator. In order to rule out the involvement of other perpetrators, the search will continue.
Police spokesman Holger Vehren said the officers themselves did not fire a shot during the operation. After securing the crime scene, firefighters in heavy protective gear entered the building. According to the police, this was routine.
Warning of “life-threatening situation”
The danger message from the warning app NINA.
On Thursday evening around 10:30 p.m., residents were warned by smartphone of a “life-threatening situation” and roads near the crime scene were blocked off. The police asked road users to drive around the cordoned off area.
The background to the bloody deed is still unclear. The police said there was no reliable information about the motive and asked that no rumors be spread.
Neighbor reports multiple shots
A neighbor reported hearing several shots. “There were about four shot periods. In these periods, several shots were always fired, approximately 20 seconds to one minute apart,” said the student. “I then looked further out the window and saw a person running frantically from the ground floor to the first floor at the Jehovah’s Witnesses.” People were later carried onto the street by police officers on their hands and feet.
“Experience has shown that the service here has always been very well attended,” said the 23-year-old. Families came, older people, younger people.
Tschentscher dismayed
Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) was dismayed late in the evening. “The reports from Alsterdorf / Groß Borstel are shocking,” wrote Tschentscher on Twitter. “My deepest sympathy goes to the relatives of the victims. The emergency services are working flat out to track down the perpetrators and clarify the background.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses – Christian community with its own interpretation of the Bible
The Jehovah’s Witnesses are a Christian community with its own interpretation of the Bible, which should submit to strict regulations. The followers believe in Jehovah as “Almighty God and Creator”. They are convinced that a new world is at hand and that they will be saved as a chosen church. Jehovah’s Witnesses have around eight million members worldwide. The “world headquarters” is in New York. The German community, with fewer than 200,000 members, is one of the largest in Europe.
