Several people were shot dead in a church of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the north of Hamburg on Thursday evening. Other people were seriously injured in the attack in the Alsterdorf district, the police said in the Hanseatic city. The news channel n-tv spoke of at least six dead, the “Bild” newspaper of seven. The police have not yet released any official information on the number of victims.
According to the police, an event took place in the three-story building of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the evening. According to the Hamburg interior authorities, the shots were fired around 9 p.m. Special police forces were nearby, were at the scene a few minutes later and then “penetrated the object very quickly”. The officers continued to work in large numbers on Friday night. A police spokesman said there was no reliable information about the motive for the crime. The background is still unclear.
Upon arrival, emergency services heard another shot
Upon entering, the emergency services immediately discovered dead and injured. A shot was heard from one of the upper floors. The police found another dead person there, which could possibly be the perpetrator. “It’s not 100% clear yet, but we can assume so,” said the spokesman for the news channel n-tv. However, there are no indications of a fugitive perpetrator, he emphasized. The forces themselves should not have used their weapons.
Patrol cars with blue lights cordoned off the crime scene in the evening. Police officers with submachine guns also secured the area. An official hazard announcement by the Hamburg Interior Ministry spoke of an “extreme danger”. The police asked road users to drive around the cordoned off area: “Avoid the danger area. In the danger area, stay where you are and don’t go outside for the time being.”
Hamburg’s Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) was dismayed by the shots during an event of Jehovah’s Witnesses. “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.”
ww/mak (dpa/afp)