On Thursday, March 10, In the northern German city of Hamburg, shots were fired inside Jehovah’s Witnesses church.
The police said that the motive of the attack is not clear yet adding that the attacker may be among the dead. Police declined to reveal how many people died but did state that several were seriously injured.
According to the Bild newspaper, the shooting at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in a northern Hamburg district of Germany resulted in seven fatalities and left eight injured.
Several local media reports have also stated that around six people lost their lives in the attack.
Several people have been killed and several others seriously injured in a shooting at a Jehovah’s Witness church in the northern German city of Hamburg, with the motive for the attack unclear, police said https://t.co/dqCWX2mLtU pic.twitter.com/Inu0J6bwxX
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 10, 2023
According to a reporter on the scene and reported by Germany’s DPA news agency, local residents in Hamburg’s northern Alsterdorf district had received mobile phone alerts of a “life-threatening situation” and that streets had been closed.
Seven people were killed in a shooting during a Jehovah’s Witnesses event in Hamburg, according to the Bild newspaper, which also reported that at least eight others were injured.
— dpa news agency (@dpa_intl) March 9, 2023
We heard gunfire, a witness informed reporters. He claimed that there was 12 continuous gunfire. “Then we saw how people were taken away in black bags,” the witness reportedly said.
As for the shooting in the Gross Borstel district of Hamburg, police spokesperson Holger Vehren stated, “We just know that several people died here; other people are wounded, they were rushed to hospitals.” Vehren has also not confirmed the local media reports which claimed that six to seven people have been killed in the attack. He reportedly said that the police were informed about the incident at 9:15 p.m. following which the police rushed to the spot.
“Then there were shots on the upper floor and a dead person was found there. We assume that it is the perpetrator.”, Holger Vehren told the media.
“Es gab dann Schüsse im Obergeschoss und dort wurde eine tote Person gefunden. Wir gehen davon aus, dass es sich um den Täter handelt.”, Holger Vehren von der @PolizeiHamburg.
— Carsten Janz @[email protected] (@janzegal) March 10, 2023
Hier der ganze Ton zu #hh0803. Interview von @GregoryDauber für @tonline #Hamburg pic.twitter.com/dHkJlVnQt4
Early on Friday morning, Hamburg police stated on Twitter that they believed that there was only one shooter and that they were gradually withdrawing security forces from the area.
“We found a dead person in a community center in #GroßBorstel who we believe could be a perpetrator. In order to rule out the involvement of other perpetrators, we carry out checks and search extensively,” Hamburg Police tweeted.
Wir haben in einem Gemeindehaus in #GroßBorstel eine leblose Person aufgefunden, bei der wir davon ausgehen, dass es sich um einen Täter handeln könnte. Um die Beteiligung weiterer Täter auszuschließen, führen wir Überprüfungen durch & fahnden umfassend.#schießerei #hh0903
— Polizei Hamburg (@PolizeiHamburg) March 10, 2023
Earlier Hamburg police stated that the motive behind the shooting remains unclear.
Nach ersten Erkenntnissen wurde in einer Kirche in der Straße Deelböge im Stadtteil #GroßBorstel geschossen. Dabei wurden mehrere Menschen schwer verletzt, einige sogar tödlich. Wir sind mit einem Großaufgebot an Kräften vor Ort. Weitere Informationen folgen. #schießerei #h0903
— Polizei Hamburg (@PolizeiHamburg) March 9, 2023
Peter Tschentscher, the mayor of Hamburg, tweeted that the news of the attack was “shocking” and offered his sympathy to the relatives of the victims.
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 to the families of the victims. The emergency services are working flat out to track down the perpetrator(s) and to clarify the background,” Tschentscher tweeted.
