Deadly shooting at Hamburg Jehovah's Witness hall

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A number of people have been killed in a shooting at a Jehovah's Witness meeting hall in the north German city of Hamburg.

Police say the gunman acted alone and is thought to be dead. It is unclear if the attacker is among the six or seven fatalities reported by German media.

As yet, "there is no reliable information on the motive", police say.

A number of people were also injured in the shooting on Deelböge street in the city's Gross Borstel district.

Police say they found a dead person at the scene who they believe may have been a perpetrator and investigations are continuing.

They were called around 21:15 (20:15 GMT) to reports that shots had been fired in the building, police spokesman Holger Vehren said.

Officers who went in found people who "may have been seriously injured by firearms, some of them fatally", he said.

"The officers also heard a shot from the upper part of the building and went upstairs, where they also found a person. So far we have no indications that any perpetrators fled."

He said police had not yet identified the victims and work at the crime scene continued.

"All we know is that several people have died here, several people have been injured, they have been taken to hospitals," Mr Vehren said.

The reasons behind the shooting were "still completely unclear".

Forensic experts have been working here through the night. They can still be seen in their white suits inside the brightly lit interior of the meeting house.

It is thought people had gathered here, possibly for a Bible study, when the shooting began at around 21:00 (20:00 GMT).

A neighbour said she had heard several bursts of gunfire and, later, had seen police officers carrying people out of the building.

Hamburg's Mayor Peter Tschentscher has spoken of his shock and offered his condolences to the families of the victims.

An alert was sent on the federal warning app, NINAwarn, at around 21:00 (20:00 GMT) telling locals that "one or more unknown perpetrators shot at people in a church".

Residents nearby were told not to leave their homes amid the ongoing police operation.

...
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64910415
 
Whoever would attack the JWs? They were Holocaust victims, so maybe a neo-Nazi?
 
Or maybe a disgruntled member of their own community? grudge?

They are peaceful though, refusing to fight in wars. They registered as Conscientious Objectors in WW2.

I’m sure the Bundespolizei will figure out the motive.
 
Seven people, including an unborn baby, have been killed in a shooting at a Jehovah's Witness meeting hall in the German city of Hamburg, police say.

They say the gunman acted alone in Thursday's attack, and later took his own life. His motives are unknown.

The suspect, named only as Philipp F, 35, is a former member of the religious community, who had "ill-feelings".

Dramatic footage has now emerged that appears to show the suspect firing many rounds through a window of the hall.

At a briefing on Friday, the police said four men and two women were shot dead. A seven-month foetus was also hit in the womb - it died but its mother survived. All the dead were German nationals.

Eight people were injured, four seriously. A Ugandan and a Ukrainian were among those hurt.

The first emergency call came at 21:04 local time (20:04 GMT) on Thursday, to report that shots had been fired in the building on Deelböge street, Gross Borstel district, the police said.

Officers were on site four minutes later, and they were almost immediately joined by special forces. The officers had to break windows to enter the building where about 50 people had gathered.

The suspect - described as a "sports shooter" who had a gun licence - had fled to the first floor. His "lifeless body" was found shortly afterwards.

He had managed to shoot nine magazines of ammunition, and 20 more were found in his backpack.

German Senator Andy Grote said "fast and decisive actions" by police officers had saved many lives. He also described the attack as the "worst crime" in Hamburg's recent history.

Gregor Miesbach, who filmed the gunman shooting through a first-floor window, told the Bild newspaper: "I didn't realise what was happening. I was filming with my phone, and only realised through the zoom that someone was shooting at Jehovah's Witnesses.

"I heard loud gunshots... I saw a man with a firearm shooting through a window and filmed it," he said.

Lara Bauch, a 23-year-old student who lives nearby, told the DPA news agency that "there were about four bursts of gunfire - several shots were fired in each burst - with gaps lasting roughly 20 seconds to a minute".

She said that from her window she could see a person frantically running from the ground floor to the first floor. "The man was wearing dark clothing and moving fast," she added.

An alert was sent on the federal warning app, NINAwarn, on Thursday evening telling locals that "one or more unknown perpetrators shot at people in a church".

Local residents were told not to leave their homes amid the ongoing police operation.

Footage showed police escorting people out of the meeting hall, some to ambulances.

BBC
 
Philipp Fusz (35 years old) was responsible. He is apparently an ex-Jehova's Witnesses.
 
Fury in Germany as Hamburg shooting brings ‘lax’ gun laws into focus
Gunman was given a firearms permit despite several psychological red flags

Gun laws in Germany, where weapon ownership is among the highest in Europe, could be further tightened after last week’s mass shooting in which seven people, including an unborn child, were killed in a Jehovah’s Witness hall in Hamburg.

The attack has thrown up the perennial question of whether the various parts of the country’s federal system are working together, and strengthened the hand of those in the governing coalition who are seeking stronger gun controls.

Hamburg authorities have highlighted the speed of the police response: a specialist unit arrived within minutes of the first bullets being fired by 35-year-old Philipp Fusz. Since 2021, the city has been piloting a specialist unit modelled on a taskforce formed in Vienna after four people died in a shooting there in November 2020.

Two vehicles, each carrying four heavily armed officers, have been patrolling the streets of Hamburg between noon and 10pm from Monday to Thursday in an initiative lauded as a sign that the authorities have learned the lessons of previous mass shootings.

The officers almost certainly saved many lives by arriving within four minutes of the emergency calls and blasting their way into the church near Hamburg airport as Fusz, a freelance business consultant who left the local Jehovah’s Witness chapter 18 months ago, was attempting to systematically murder the 36 people inside with bursts of fire from his semi-automatic Heckler & Koch P30.

...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...mburg-shooting-brings-lax-gun-laws-into-focus
 
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