At least nine people were killed and 21 others injured on Friday in a shooting rampage at a busy shopping district in Munich, Germany. The horror shooting which forced the city to declare a state of emergency has left children among the dead. One of the bodies recovered is claimed to be that of the shooter, who reportedly killed himself after going on a deadly rampage inside the bustling Olympia shopping mall and outside a nearby McDonalds.
The unidentified gunman was an 18-year-old German-Iranian who had lived in Munich for more than two years, Chief Hubertus Andrae told reporters. No terrorist organization has yet claimed responsibility and police have not been able to detect a motive. But experts have linked it to the terrorist outfit ISIS. “We cannot rule out that it is linked to terrorism but we can't confirm it either, but we are also investigating in this direction,” said Peter Altmaier, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff.
The central railway station in Munich has been evacuated and public transport has been suspended, reports German Media. A Facebook post by the police department confirmed the same. The search for them is running at full speed. “Due to the still unclear situation we ask all people in the urban area to stay at home or to search in nearby buildings protection. The operation of the public transport system is currently set,” said the post.
“We are at the moment after three attackers. We first were alerted when someday entered the shopping centre with a weapon. And we rushed to the scene. We are doing what we can. The emergency call was to us that an armed man was on site. Our main priority is the security of the population. We are telling the people of Munich there are shooters on the run who are dangerous. This is the biggest police operation in the last ten years that we have had to deal with. Munich police is very well trained,” said a Police officer talking to the reporters.
People have been evacuated from the scene but the manhunt is still on. Many videos of the gruesome incident have since surefaced on social media.
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