ISeveral people were shot dead in the Alsterdorf district of Hamburg on Thursday evening. Others were seriously injured. According to the “Bild” newspaper, there are seven dead and at least eight injured. The police spoke of a large situation. According to a police spokesman, around 9 p.m. there were more emergency calls to the police and fire brigade. Officers heard another shot shortly after they arrived. In the upper part of the building they found a person who might be the culprit.
A large number of emergency services are on site, and the area around the crime scene is cordoned off. According to the police, the crime took place in a center of Jehovah’s Witnesses. One or more perpetrators are said to have shot at people. “The dead all have gunshot wounds,” said a police spokesman. The background to the fact is still unclear. However, according to security circles, the police classified the act as an amok act.
Interior authority gives official danger announcement
According to the police, there is no evidence of fugitive perpetrators. However, the interior authority initially issued a warning: An official hazard announcement by the Hamburg Interior Authority spoke of an “extreme danger”. “Around 9:00 p.m. today, one or more unknown perpetrators shot people in a church,” the text said.
The streets at the scene of the assassination were cordoned off extensively. The police asked road users to drive around the cordoned off area. “Avoid the danger zone. In the danger area, stay where you are and do not go outside for the time being.”
Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) wrote on Twitter in the evening: “The reports from Alsterdorf/Groß Borstel are shocking. My deepest condolences to the families of the victims. The emergency services are working flat out to track down the perpetrators and clarify the background.
Interior Senator Andy Grote tweeted that the police were “deployed with a large contingent, including special forces, to ensure security on site and quickly and fully clarify the circumstances of the crime.”
