UPDATE Munich attack: Gunman apparently acted alone
The shooting at the Munich shopping mall was carried out by one man, police have said on Saturday.
Elena Enache, 23.07.2016, 04:11
A man found dead near the Olympia shopping center in Munich, Germany, killed himself and was likely the lone gunman in an attack that killed nine people and injured sixteen others, three critically, the Munich police said on Saturday. The suspect was an 18-year-old with German and Iranian citizenship, who lived in Munich, police told a news conference. It is still uncertain if this was a criminal or a terror attack.
The police initially thought, citing eyewitness accounts, that there were three attackers, but it is now believed that only one man is responsible for the shooting. Following the attack, the Bavarian capitals transport system was suspended and the central railway station evacuated. Public transport was reopened several hours later when police gave a cautious “all clear”.
According to the police, there was no immediate indication that it was an Islamist attack but it was being treated as a terrorist incident. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the motive for the attack was not yet clear.
In a post on his Facebook page, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has said: “I firmly condemn this evening’s attack in Munich. Unfortunately, innocent people continue to be the victims of extreme and completely unjustified violence. Such coward crimes must be promptly and severely punished. Fresh efforts of the international community are needed to enhance the prevention and action capacity, by using all available means. My thoughts are now with the families and friends of the victims. I’m in touch with the relevant Romanian authorities who deploy all efforts to find out if there are any Romanians among the victims and provide assistance to those who need it.”
The European Council President, Donald Tusk and US President Barack Obama have also voiced solidarity with Germany.
Fridays 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. The attack in Munich is the third major act of violence against civilian targets to take place in Western Europe in eight days. Friday is also the five-year anniversary of the massacre by Anders Behring Breivik in Norway in which he killed 77 people.
