At least seven people have been killed and eight others injured in the German city of Hamburg following a shooting at a Jehovah’s Witnesses religious center, police have confirmed.
According to information from the tabloid ‘Bild’, picked up by the German news agency DPA, the attack against the center took place while members of the Christian denomination were participating in a meeting.
For its part, the Hamburg Police confirmed on its Twitter profile that the event occurred in the Gross Borstel neighborhood, after which the authorities have launched a »large police operation» and have moved to the scene with »a large contingent of forces».
In fact, the person in charge of the functions of the Interior in Hamburg, Andy Grote, has confirmed on Twitter that the great police device counts on the participation of »special forces», employed in this case to »guarantee the security in the place and to clarify quickly and exhaustively the circumstances of the crime».
On the other hand, the mayor of Hamburg, Peter Tschentscher, has expressed his condolences for what happened and has recognized that the information he has received is »shocking». The emergency services are working at full speed to locate the perpetrators and clarify the background,» he said.
Earlier, local authorities had appealed to residents of the area to leave their homes as part of the large police operation, which so far has no information on any suspects who have fled.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)