Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNEWSWORLD NEWSReuters: Gunmen kill at least eight in Munich shopping mall, shooters on...

Reuters: Gunmen kill at least eight in Munich shopping mall, shooters on the run

 

 

 

 Reuters-MUNICH- Gunmen attacked a busy mall in the German city of Munich on Friday evening, killing at least eight people and sending shoppers running for their lives from what police said was a terrorist attack.
Authorities told the public to get off the streets as the city – Germany’s third biggest – went into lockdown with transport halted and highways sealed off.
A police spokesman said three gunmen were on the run after the initial shooting subsided. The city was placed under a state of emergency as police hunted for them.
“We are telling the people of Munich there are shooters on the run who are dangerous,” he said. “We are urging people to stay indoors.”
Police said later that eight people had been killed and an undetermined number wounded. A ninth body had also been found and they were checking to see it was one of the gunmen.
Munich newspaper TZ said one of the shooters was dead. German news magazine Focus said a gunman had shot himself in the head. Reuters could not immediately confirm either report.
As Special Forces deployed in the city, some people remained holed up in the Olympia shopping center which police said had been evacuated.
“Many shots were fired, I can’t say how many but it’s been a lot,” said a shop worker hiding in a store room inside the mall.
It was the third major act of violence against civilians in Western Europe in eight days. Previous attacks in France and Germany were claimed by the Islamic State militant group.
A police spokesman said there was no immediate indication that it was an Islamist attack but it was being treated as a terrorist incident.
Friday is also the five-year anniversary of the massacre by Anders Behring Breivik in Norway in which he killed 77 people. Breivik is a hero for far-right militants in Europe and America.
IS SUPPORTERS CELEBRATE
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but supporters of Islamic State celebrated on social media.
“The Islamic state is expanding in Europe,” read one Tweet.
Two witnesses told n-tv television that they saw a man dressed as Santa Claus walking away from the scene of the shooting with a crowd of people. One said the man had blonde hair, was not carrying a weapon but had a suitcase.
A video posted online – whose authenticity could not be confirmed – showed a man dressed in black outside a McDonalds by the roadside, drawing a handgun and shooting towards members of the public.
A worker at a shop in the mall, Harun Balta, said: “We are still stuck inside the mall without any information, we’re waiting for the police to rescue us.”
Witnesses had seen shooting both inside the mall and on nearby streets, he said.
Munich’s main railway station was also evacuated. BR television said police had also sealed off many highways north of Munich had been shut down and people were told to leave them.
The shopping center is next to the Munich Olympic stadium, where the Palestinian militant group Black September took 11 Israeli athletes hostage and eventually killed them during the 1972 Olympic Games.
Friday’s attack took place a week after a 17-year-old asylum-seeker wounded passengers on a German train with an axe. Bavarian police shot dead the teenager after he wounded four people from Hong Kong on the train and injured a local resident while fleeing.
German Justice Minister Heiko Maas told Bild newspaper’s Friday edition before the mall attack that there was “no reason to panic but it’s clear that Germany remains a possible target”.
The incidents in Germany follow an attack in Nice, France, on Bastille Day in which a Tunisian drove a truck into crowds, killing 84. Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende said on Twitter: “Horrible killings in Munich. Taking place on the same day as we mourn & remember the appalling terror that hit Norway so hard five years ago.”
U.S. President Barack Obama pledged support for Germany.
“We don’t yet know exactly what’s happening there, but obviously our hearts go out to those who may have been injured,” Obama said.

Police outside the Olympia shopping centre, Munich, following the shooting. 

Guardian:   What we know so far


At least nine people have been killed and an unknown number injured in a shooting in Munich. Police have referred to the incident as a terror attack.
At 5.52pm gunshots were fired at a McDonald’s near the Olympia shopping centre (OEZ) in the northern Moosach area of the Bavarian capital.
A video appears to show a gunman on the rooftop carpark of the shopping centre.
A major police operation is underway in the city. Police have said up to three suspects armed with rifles are being hunted. No one has so far been arrested and officials have no indication of the attackers’ whereabouts.
Police have said all customers have now left the shopping centre.
The German government has set up a crisis response unit.
Residents have been warned via Munich’s smartphone warning system to avoid public places, stay in their homes where possible, and turn on the TV and radio.
Munich central station and underground system is closed and has been evacuated. Motorists on the motorway into Munich have been asked to clear the road for police and emergency service vehicles.
Hospitals throughout Munich are on emergency alert and in “catastrophe mode”.
Police have said they could not confirm earlier reports of one or two other shootings elsewhere in the city, including in a large square known locally as Stachus.

 

ABC News: At least eight people have been killed and others are injured, following what police have described as a “possible terror attack” at the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall in Munich, Germany. A manhunt is underway.
Police said that witnesses called to report three people with guns on a nearby street who later moved toward the mall. The perpetrators remain at large.
Police spokeswoman Claudia Kunzel told ABC News that “all the police that we have” are responding to the situation.
The shooting began just after 6 p.m. in a McDonald’s restaurant in the mall. The latest reports suggest that police are still evacuating the building.
A spokesperson for police in Munich described the incident as a “possible terror attack” while speaking to a German radio station.
 

BERLIN (AP) — The latest developments on a deadly attack Friday at a mall in Munich (all times local):

 

 Images purportedly show Munich shooting suspect.

10:20 p.m.
Members of Germany’s elite anti-terrorism force are on their way to the scene of the deadly shooting in Munich.
Members of the public run away from the Olympia Einkaufszentrum mall, after a shooting, in Munich, Germany, Friday, July 22, 2016. A manhunt was underway Fri…
Members of the public run away from the Olympia Einkaufszentrum mall, after a shooting, in Munich, Germany, Friday, July 22, 2016. A manhunt was underway Friday for a shooter or shooters who opened fire at a shopping mall in Munich, killing and wounding several people, a Munich police spokeswoman said. The city transit system shut down and police asked people to avoid public places. (AP)
A security official told The Associated Press that 30 members of the GSG9 special operations unit are landing in Munich “as we speak.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to be quoted by name.
Police say the attack near a McDonald’s restaurant in Munich has left at least six people dead and others wounded.
Munich police, who are calling the attack “suspected terrorism,” are still hunting for up to three possible shooters armed with rifles. No suspects have been apprehended yet. Residents have been told to stay indoors during the police operation.
___
10:15 p.m.
Germany’s interior minister has cut short his holiday in the United States to go back way to Berlin late Friday to meet with security officials after an attack near a McDonald’s restaurant in Munich left at least six people dead and others wounded.
Munich police, who called the attack “suspected terrorism,” were still hunting for up to three possible shooters armed with rifles. No suspects have been apprehended yet.
Police have urged residents to stay indoors while the manhunt is on. Facebook has created a safety check for Munich shooting. Police have set up a hotline for people who are missing relatives and are sending out tweets on safety suggestions in four languages —German, English, French, Turkish.

 

 

BERLIN (AP) — The latest developments :

9:50 p.m.

Munich police spokesman Peter Beck tells The Associated Press that six people are dead and several are wounded in a shooting attack outside a McDonald’s restaurant in Munich.

Munich police spokesman Marcus Martins tells AP they are aware of reports that a man has killed himself while he was being arrested, but said there is no confirmation of this yet. He says up to three suspects armed with rifles are still at large and being hunted by police.

 
Munich police are calling the Friday afternoon attack “suspected terrorism.” They have urged residents to remain indoors while the police operation is going down.

They also are urging social media users to refrain from speculating about the attack on Twitter.

 

MUNICH (AP)-  The Latest on an attack Friday night in Munich (all times local):

 

Police evacuates people from the shopping mall in Munich on July 22, 2016 following a shooting earlier.Munich police: At least three suspects armed with rifles still at large after deadly mall shooting.

9:15 p.m.

President Barack Obama is pledging to provide Germany with whatever help it may need to investigate a deadly shooting incident.

Obama says “exactly what’s happening” in Munich is unclear.

German police and media reports say six people have been killed and others wounded when a shooter or shooters opened fire at a shopping mall in Munich. A police manhunt is underway.

Obama says he was late getting to a White House meeting on police issues because he was being briefed on developments in Germany, “one of our closest allies.” He told his audience the shooting is yet another reminder that people’s way of life, their freedom and ability to go about their everyday business depends on law enforcement.
___

9:05 p.m.

Munich police are hunting for a shooter or shooters and using the term “suspected terrorism” in connection with a deadly attack at a McDonald’s in a city mall.

Bavarian public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk says six people have been killed in the attack but police are only confirming “several dead and wounded” at the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall in the northern section of the Bavarian capital. Police say witnesses have seen three people with what appear to be rifles.

No one is in custody yet. All trains, trams, buses and subways in the city have been shut down during the police operation, and police are urging residents to stay indoors.

This is the second attack in Germany this week, after an Afghan youth attacked five people with an ax and a knife on Monday night near Wuerzburg before being shot dead by police.
___

8:45 p.m.

A Munich police spokesman says witnesses have reported seeing three shooters with “long guns” who attacked a McDonald’s in a city mall.

Police spokesman Peter Beck also tells The Associated Press he is not yet able to confirm the report by German public broadcaster BR that six people have been killed in the shooting late Friday afternoon. Another Munich police spokeswoman, Claudia Kuenzel, says there are “several dead and wounded” at the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall.

Munich police are hunting the suspects but no one is in custody yet. All trains, trams, buses and subways in the city have been shut down during the police operation, and police have urged residents to stay indoors.

Hospitals in Munich, a city of 1.4 million people, have called in extra staff to prepare for the possibility of large numbers of wounded.
8:25 p.m.

German public broadcaster BR reports that six people have been killed at a shooting at a McDonald’s restaurant in a mall in Munich.

Munich police on Friday night are hunting for the shooter or shooters, saying “the suspects are still on the run.” They are urging residents and visitors to stay home, seek safety inside buildings and avoid public places. The city has sent smartphone alerts to tell people to stay indoors.

The attack, the second in Germany this week, occurred just before 6 p.m. at the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall in the northern part of Munich.

The German rail company Deutsche Bahn has stopped train traffic to Munich’s main station and Munich public transit operator MVG has shut down all subway, bus and trolley cars because of the police operation to find the shooters.

8:15 p.m.

Munich police are urging residents to stay home or seek safety indoors as they hunt for a shooter or shooters who attacked people at a mall.

In a statement, Munich police say “the suspects are still on the run. Please avoid public places.” They urge people not to post tweets or post photos of police operations in the city.

Munich police spokeswoman Claudia Kuenzel says there are “several dead and wounded” in the shooting at the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall in northern Munich.

Munich public transit operator MVG says all subway, bus and trolley cars have been shut down because of the police operation until further notice.

 Hill: Munich gunman screamed anti-immigrant slogans before shooting

 Associated Press – Munich police are hunting for a shooter or shooters and using the term “suspected terrorism” in connection with a deadly attack at a McDonald’s in a city mall.
German public broadcaster BR reported that six people have been killed. Police spokesman Peter Beck told the Associated Press he is not yet able to confirm that report.
The city transit system shut down and police asked people to avoid public places.
“At the moment no culprit has been arrested,” Munich police said on social media. “The search is taking place at high speed.”
The city sent smartphone alerts to tell people to stay indoors.Police said witnesses reported seeing three different people with “long guns” near the Olympia Einkaufszentrum mall.
Munich police spokeswoman Claudia Kuenzel told the Associated Press there had been “several dead and wounded.” She could not provide exact numbers.
Munich police spokesman Thomas Baumann told German news agency dpa the attack started at a fast-food restaurant in the mall shortly before 6 p.m. local time. He said police didn’t know whether they were dealing with one or multiple shooters.
Public broadcaster Bayrischer Rundfunk reported that shops in the center of Munich had closed with customers inside.
Police responded in large numbers to the mall in the northern part of Munich, not far from the city’s Olympic Stadium in the Moosach district of the Bavarian capital.
It’s the second attack in Germany in less than a week. On Monday, a 17-year-old Afghan wounded four people in an ax-and-knife attack on a regional train near the Bavarian city of Wuerzburg, and another woman outside as he fled.
All survived, although one man from the train remains in life-threatening condition. The attacker was shot and killed by police.

 

NBC Nightly News :
President Obama: Our hearts go out to one of our closest allies in Germany as the Munich shooting situation develops.

Obama: We pledge our support to Germany

Reuters- Gunmen went on a shooting rampage in a shopping mall in the southern German city of Munich on Friday, killing and wounding many people, police said.
It was the third major act of violence against civilian targets to take place in Western Europe in eight days. Previous attacks in France and Germany were claimed by the Islamic State militant group.
Munich police said they suspected it was a terrorist attack.
Authorities were evacuating people from the Olympia mall but many others were hiding inside. Munich’s main railway station was also being evacuated.
A Munich police spokeswoman said multiple people were killed or wounded. No suspects had been arrested yet, she said.
“We believe we are dealing with a shooting rampage,” the spokeswoman said.
Bavarian broadcaster BR said six people were dead and many wounded in the shopping mall.
NTV television had reported the Bavarian Interior Ministry as saying three people were dead, but the ministry said later it would not confirm this.
More than one gunman was believed to be involved, the police spokeswoman said.
“We believe there was more than one perpetrator. The first reports came at 6 p.m., the shooting apparently began at a McDonald’s in the shopping center. There are still people in the shopping center. We are trying to get the people out and take care of them,” she said.
Police Special Forces had arrived at the scene, NTV said.
Munich police said on Facebook that witnesses reported three different people with weapons. Shooting was also reported on Hanauer Street and Ries Street, near the mall.
The police told people to stay in their homes or take cover in buildings. Authorities were evacuating people from the Olympia mall. But many others were hiding inside, an employee told Reuters by telephone.
“Many shots were fired, I can’t say how many but it’s been a lot,” the employee, who declined to be identified, said from the mall.
“All the people from outside came streaming into the store and I only saw one person on the ground who was so severely injured that he definitely didn’t survive,”
“We have no further information, we’re just staying in the back in the storage rooms. No police have approached us yet.”
Munich transport authorities said they had halted several bus, train and tram lines.
The shopping center is next to the Munich Olympic stadium, where the Palestinian militant group Black September took 11 Israeli athletes hostage and eventually killed them during the 1972 Olympic Games.
IS SUPPORTERS CELEBRATE
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but supporters of Islamic State celebrated the rampage on social media.
“Thank God, may God bring prosperity to our Islamic State men,” read one tweet.
“The Islamic state is expanding in Europe,” read another.
Friday’s attack took place a week after a 17-year-old asylum-seeker wounded passengers on a German train in an axe rampage. Bavarian police shot dead the teenager after he wounded four people from Hong Kong on the train and injured a local resident while fleeing.
German Justice Minister Heiko Maas told Bild newspaper’s Friday edition before the mall attack that there was “no reason to panic but it’s clear that Germany remains a possible target”.
The incidents in Germany follow an attack in Nice, France, on Bastille Day in which a Tunisian drove a truck into crowds, killing 84. Islamic State also claimed responsibility for that attack.
Friday is also the five-year anniversary of the massacre by Anders Behring Breivik in Norway. Breivik is a hero for far-right extremists in Europe and America.
The Munich assault was also reminiscent of Islamist militant attacks in a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, in September 2013 and on a hotel in Mumbai, India, in November 2008.


Mail OnLine-

Munich in lockdown: ‘Several dead’ and 10 injured in shooting rampage inside a shopping centre as police admit they don’t know where the gunman is or how many shooters there are
A number of people have been killed and another 10 people are injured after a gunman went on a shooting rampage
Police operation is ongoing in Munich, with the force warning people to stay in their homes and avoid public spaces
Terrified shoppers were seen running for their lives from the Olympia Shopping Centre after hearing gunshots
Gunman reportedly fled after his shooting spree on the city underground network, which has now been shut down.
 

 Guardian-The German interior ministry has confirmed three dead.
There are conflicting reports about whether gunmen are active only in the vicinity of the shopping centre or elsewhere in Munich. The latest police advice is as follows:
Police in Munich are saying that they have received reports from witnesses of three gunmen in the area surrounding the Olympia shopping centre. The witnesses said they saw gunmen in Hanauer Street and Ries Street.
They say that all available forces are being deployed but no one has been arrested. “Due to the unclear situation we ask all people in the metropolitan area to stay at home and those in nearby buildings to seek shelter.” Public transport is closed.
Some more details from Munich police. A spokeswoman has said: “We believe we are dealing with a shooting rampage.
“We believe there was more than one perpetrator. The first reports came at 6pm, the shooting apparently began at a McDonald’s in the shopping centre. There are still people in the shopping centre. We are trying to get the people out and take care of them.”
No one had been arrested, she said.
The German interior ministry has confirmed three dead.
German police say they do not know where the attackers are and advises people to avoid public places.

 

 BERLIN (AP) —
The Latest on an attack Friday night in Munich (all times local):
8 p.m.
A Munich police spokeswoman says there are “several dead and wounded” in a shooting at a mall in the Bavarian capital, and police are still hunting down the suspect or suspects.
Claudia Kuenzel tells The Associated Press that “the shooter or shooters are still on the run” — either in the mall or around the mall.
Public broadcaster Bayrischer Rundfunk reports that the late afternoon attack happened at a McDonald’s restaurant at the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall in the northern part of Munich.
Armin Fritz, a reporter for public radio B5, says the city’s entire public transport system has been shut down as police search for the attacker or attackers.
It’s the second attack in Germany in less than a week.
___
7:40 p.m.
Germany’s dpa news agency reports that police in Munich are saying “we expect multiple dead” in a shooting at a mall and police are hunting for the shooter or shooters.
Dpa is quoting Munich police as saying no one has been captured yet.
Dpa says the attack started at a fast food restaurant in the mall, shortly before 6 p.m. (1600 GMT) according to Munich police spokesman Thomas Baumann. He was quoted as saying that police didn’t know whether they were dealing with one or more shooters.
The Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall in the northern part of Munich is not far from the city’s Olympic Stadium in the Moosach district of the Bavarian capital.
It’s the second attack in Germany in less than a week.
___
7:25 p.m.
Germany’s dpa news agency reports that police in Munich are saying “we expect multiple dead” in a shooting at a mall.
The Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall in the northern part of Munich is not far from the city’s Olympic Stadium in the Moosach district of the Bavarian capital.
Police are responding to the reported attack Friday in large numbers.
Munich police are urging people to avoid public places. “The situation is still unclear,” they said on Twitter.
___
6:40 p.m.
Police in Germany say there’s been a shooting at a shopping center in Munich.
Munich police confirm shots have been fired at Olympia Einkaufszentrum shopping center but say they don’t have any details about casualties.
Police are responding in large numbers. German media say multiple people are injured.
It’s the second attack in Germany in less than a week. On Monday, a 17-year-old Afghan wounded four people in an ax-and-knife attack on a regional train near the Bavarian city of Wuerzburg, and attacked another woman outside as he fled. All survived, although one man from the train remains in life-threatening condition. The attacker was shot and killed by police.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the train attack, but authorities have said the teen likely acted alone.

 

 Hill- A “shooting spree” took place at a shopping mall in Munich, Germany, on Friday, CNN reported.
The incident took place at the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall, a police spokesperson told the network. The spokesperson added that the shooting was over and asked people to stay clear of the area.
There were conflicting accounts of the number of people killed. Munich police have advised residents to avoid public spaces as they look for a shooter or shooters that may be on the run, according to multiple reports.
AFP reported that one person was dead and 10 injured. Reuters reported that up to 15 people were killed, citing a German newspaper.
The U.S. State Department is “working with local authorities to determine if any US citizens were affected” by the shooting, NBC reported. 

Telegraph- Munich shopping centre shooting: At least three killed as major police operation continues  

 ABC News: Several people are dead and injured after a shooting at the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall in Munich, Germany, police said, sparking a manhunt for the shooter.

The suspect is at large, police spokeswoman Claudia Kunzel told ABC News. Kunzel could not confirm if there were one or more shooters.

The shooting began just after 6 p.m. in a McDonald’s in the mall. Police are still evacuating the building.

 

 Guardian- German police say they do not know where the attackers are and advises people to avoid public places.
The shooting began at a McDonald’s restaurant, a police spokeswoman has told the local BR24 news outlet, and it was not yet known whether there were one or more attackers.
Video footage seen by the Guardian also appeared to show a man shooting outside a McDonald’s restaurant.
The British Foreign Office has issued an alert warning British citizens in Munich to follow the instructions of the authorities.
“There are reports of an incident at the Munich Olympia Shopping Centre. You are advised to avoid this location and follow the advice of local authorities,” it said in updated travel advice on Germany.
Police are warning people to “avoid public places in Munich. The situation is still unclear”.
The Merkur local newspaper reports that the alleged attacker may have opened fire in three places, possibly including Munich’s large Stachus square.
The Guardian has seen video footage believed to have been taken at the Munich shopping centre showing a gunman firing at people running.
Some more reliable information coming in from police now.
A spokeswoman has said that multiple people have been killed and wounded in the shooting, Reuters reported. “We believe we are dealing with a shooting rampage,” a police spokeswoman said, adding she believed more than one shooter was involved. Police were still evacuating the mall, she added.
Süddeutsche Zeitung is reporting that at least one person has been killed and 10 injured. Still no confirmation from police.
According to Germany’s DPA news agency, police “expect multiple dead”.
Munich police tweeted that several people were injured in the shooting and the situation was “still unclear.”
All subway services in the city were halted after reports that the suspect fled into the subway.
Police and firefighters are seen near a shopping mall amid a shooting on July 22, 2016 in Munich. Several people were killed on Friday in a shooting rampage by a lone gunman in a Munich shopping centre, media reports said. 

ABC News, 22 July 2016:

A major police operation is underway after shots were fired at the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall in Munich, Germany, police said.
A police spokesman said they “expect multiple dead,” Germany’s dpa news agency said.
Munich police tweeted that several people were injured in the shooting and the situation was “still unclear.”
All subway services in the city were halted after reports that the suspect fled into the subway.
 

 

Reuters, 22 July 2016: Germany’s Muencher Abendzeitung reported that up to 15 people were killed in a shooting in a shopping mall in the southern city of Munich.
TV images showed dozens of emergency vehicles outside the mall.
The shopping center is next to the Munich Olympic stadium during the 1972 Olympic Games.
Friday’s attack took place a week after a 17-year-old asylum-seeker wounded passengers on a German train in an ax rampage claimed by Islamic State. Bavarian police shot dead the teenager after he wounded four people from Hong Kong on the train and injured a local resident while fleeing.
German Justice Minister Heiko Maas told Bild newspaper’s Friday edition that there was “no reason to panic but it’s clear that Germany remains a possible target”.
The incidents in Germany follow an attack in Nice, France, on Bastille Day in which a Tunisian drove a truck into crowds, killing 84. Islamic State also claimed responsibility for that attack.

Source: Reuters, 22 July 2016

RELATED ARTICLES

Selected

Latest News and Articles

Most Viewed

[custom-twitter-feeds]