At least six people died and several were left this Thursday in a shooting in Hamburg, Germany. The author of the shots has not yet been arrested, and it is not certain whether he acted alone.
Hamburg authorities and the German Interior Ministry say the crime scene was a church. According to several german media, the shooting reportedly took place at a Jehovah’s Witness center in the Alsterdorf neighborhood. O Bild It advances that the attack left at least seven dead and eight wounded.
The shooting reportedly took place around 9 pm (8 pm in Lisbon), when the emergency services began to receive several distress calls for the incident on Deelböge Street. The surrounding area has been cordoned off by the police, and special units with anti-terrorist equipment are in place.
Hamburg’s department of the interior issued an “extreme danger” alert. “At around 9pm, one or more unknown perpetrators shot people in a church,” the notice read.
Police forces have already asked the population to avoid the area and that residents of the danger zone remain where they are or seek shelter inside buildings.
“There is currently a major police operation in Alsterdorf. We are currently doing background checks and will inform you here shortly about further findings”, he says. on Twitter the Hamburg Policeadding that, so far, there is no “reliable information about the motive for the crime”.
The Mayor of Hamburg, Peter Tschentscher, also reacted to the shooting on social media, mourning the victims and reinforcing the work of the authorities.
Die Meldungen aus Alsterdorf / Groß Borstel sind erschütternd. Den Angehörigen der Opfer gilt mein tiefes Mitgefühl. Die Einsatzkräfte arbeiten mit Hochdruck an der Verfolgung des / der Täter & der Aufklärung der Hintergründe. Bitte beachten Sie die Hinweise der @PolizeiHamburg. https://t.co/38UcdguLzH
—Peter Tschentscher (@TschenPe) March 9, 2023
“The reports from Alsterdorf/Gross Borstel are shocking. My deepest condolences go out to the families of the victims. Emergency services are working at full speed to locate the shooter/shooters and clarify the situation. Please, take note of the information provided by the Hamburg Police”, wrote the mayor.