Hamburg Shooting Leaves Several Dead in Germany Church Attack
Several people were dead following a shooting in a church in the northern German city of Hamburg Thursday evening, according to local police.
“According to first indications, shots were fired in a church in Deelböge street in the Grossborstel district,” the police wrote in a message on Twitter.
Police said that there isn’t any reliable information on the motive of the crime so far.
Perpetrators are on the run, according to several German media, with emergency services at the scene. A large contingent of law enforcement is said to be fanning out in the area.
The shooting took place around 9 p.m. local time, according to the Federal Office for Civil Protection.
In an alert, the office warned of “extreme danger” and asked drivers to avoid the “danger zone.” It urged those in the area to remain in their current location and not go outside.
Mass shootings are rare in Germany, where gun ownership is severely restricted.
After focusing on Islamist militants following a string of smaller attacks by supporters of Islamic States and other extremist groups in 2016, German security agencies switched their focus to far-right groups, which they currently consider the main domestic security threat in the country.
In December last year, authorities said they had detained 25 people after dismantling a suspected far-right terror group that was planning a violent coup to overthrow the government.
Credit:https://www.wsj.com/
