In Hamburg, a city in northern Germany, a shooting at a Jehovah’s Witness meeting place has resulted in a number of fatalities.
Authorities claim that the shooter, who is believed to be deceased, operated alone. If the attacker is one of the six or seven fatalities listed by German media, it remains uncertain.
“There is no reliable information on the motive at this time,” according to authorities.
The shooting on Deelböge Street in the city’s Gross Borstel neighborhood also resulted in several injuries.
Investigations are ongoing, according to the police, who claim they located a dead individual at the scene who they think may have been the offender.
According to police spokesman Holger Vehren, officers responded to reports of gunfire inside the building at around 21:15 (20:15 GMT).
Upon entering, the officers discovered individuals who “may have been gravely injured by firearms, some of them fatally,” the official said.
“The officers went upstairs after hearing a shooting from the building’s top level and discovered a person there as well. We currently have no proof that any of the criminals departed.”
He claimed that work was still being done at the crime scene and that authorities had not yet identified the victims.
What we know is that there were a number of fatalities, injuries, and hospitalizations at this location, according to Mr. Vehren.
It was “still absolutely unclear” why the incident occurred.
Around 21:00 (20:00 GMT), a warning about “one or more unknown culprits shooting at persons in a church” was posted on the official warning app NINAwarn.
In light of the ongoing police operation, neighbors in the area were advised not to leave their homes.
Video shows cops leading attendees out of the meeting space and some of them into ambulances.
Andy Grote, the interior minister for Hamburg, announced on Twitter that police special forces and numerous officers had been sent to the scene.
The public has been urged by police not to spread rumors or make assumptions.
Members of a religious movement with a Christian foundation include Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Under Charles Taze Russell’s direction, the denomination was established in the USA around the close of the 19th century. The movement’s main office is in New York.
