Eight people have been killed and several others injured in a shooting at the Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall in the northern German city of Hamburg. The assailant is also among those killed. The police gave this information on Friday.
Several others were injured, some of whom are in critical condition, he said. Police gave information about the number of dead on its website. However, the motive for Thursday evening’s shooting in Germany’s second largest city is not yet known.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the shooting as a “horrible act of violence”. Police said last night that they believed the attacker was the only one found dead in the building.
Investigators spent the night collecting evidence from the building. Several investigators were seen outside the building on Friday morning amid a light snowfall.
Hamburg police tweeted on Friday morning that they believe a single attacker was involved in the shootings and are therefore gradually withdrawing forces from the area.
David Semonian, a spokesman for the US-based Jehovah’s Witnesses, said in an emailed statement on Friday that its members around the world express their condolences to those affected by this tragic incident. He said that the local leaders are providing all possible help to the people affected by the incident.
“We know that the authorities are still investigating the matter,” Semonian said. We appreciate the help provided by the police and emergency services.
Police spokesman Holger Verein said police received a call about the shooting at around 9.15 pm local time and immediately rushed to the scene. The police saw that there were several people on the ground floor who had been hit by bullets.
Police personnel heard gunshots from the top floor, where they found a man dead, who had suffered bullet injuries. It is believed that he could be the attacker. There was no firing by the police on their end, he added.
‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’ is part of an international church. It was established in America in the 19th century. Its headquarters is in Warwick, New York. It claims to have 8.7 million followers worldwide, of whom around 170,000 are in Germany.
