Multiple dead and injured after shots at Jehovah’s Witnesses in Hamburg – perpetrator probably deceased Allergy Atlas shows clear regional differences in children

Several people were killed or injured by gunfire at a Jehovah’s Witnesses event in Hamburg. According to media reports, six or seven people were killed on Thursday evening and at least eight others were injured. The perpetrator may be dead, but the Hamburg police classify his act as a frenzy, according to information from security circles.

Initially, neither the police nor Hamburg’s domestic authorities commented on the number of deaths. “According to the initial findings, there are several deaths among the victims,” ​​said a police spokesman. “The dead all have gunshot wounds,” it said. The perpetrator may also be among the dead: “There are indications that it could be the perpetrator. But it is still unclear whether it was really the perpetrator.”

Domestic Senator Andy Grote (SPD) announced a press conference for 12 noon at which details of the crime and the status of the investigation would be announced.

“There were about four baking periods”

A neighbor reported several shots at the Jehovah’s Witnesses event. “It was about four shooting periods. During these periods, several shots were always fired, with an interval of about 20 seconds to a minute,” student Lara Bauch reported late Thursday evening.

“I then looked further out the window and saw a person running like a man possessed from the ground floor to the first floor at the Jehovah’s Witnesses.” Later, people were carried into the streets on all fours by police officers. Four hours after the fatal shots, the forensic team finally entered the crime scene at night.

According to the detectives, the background of the shots in the Alsterdorf district was initially unclear. There is no indication of another or fugitive perpetrator: “At the moment the situation is calm,” a police spokesman said late in the evening.

Patrol cars with blue lights had cordoned off the crime scene in the evening. Agents with submachine guns also secured the area. Immediately after the shots, all the windows of the building were brightly lit, a helicopter was hovering in the air and countless ambulances were parked in the streets.

“Extreme Danger”

An official danger announcement by the Hamburg Ministry of the Interior spoke of an “extreme danger”. “Around 9pm today, one or more unknown perpetrators shot people inside a church,” the text read. The police were informed by telephone about the shots around 9:15 p.m.

The police have set up an information portal. “Photos and videos of the crime or relevant events in this context can be uploaded to the website https://hh.zettelportal.de/,” the Hamburg police said on Twitter.

Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) was appalled by the shots fired at an event organized by Jehovah’s Witnesses. “The messages from Alsterdorf/Gross Brush are shocking,” Tschentscher wrote on Twitter. “My deepest condolences go out to the families of the victims. The emergency services are working hard to track down the perpetrators and clear up the background.” Tschentscher called on citizens to follow the instructions of the police.

background unclear

What kind of event was being held in the congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses was initially unclear. One of the two weekly meetings was announced on the Jehovah’s Witnesses website for Thursday evening. According to the information, the public is also invited. The meetings therefore study the Bible and how its teachings can be applied in life. According to the police, several people were present at the event: “There were several people in the building during the event,” said a spokesperson.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses are a Christian community with its own interpretation of the Bible. The followers believe in Jehovah as “almighty God and Creator” and are expected to follow strict rules. They are convinced that a new world is coming and that they will be saved as a chosen church. Jehovah’s Witnesses have about eight million members worldwide. The “world headquarters” is in New York. With less than 200,000 members, the German community is one of the largest in Europe.

The crime scene is a three-storey commercial building located on a wide street and next to a painting company and a construction site with three large cranes. About 15,000 people live in Hamburg-Alsterdorf, the district in the Hamburg-Nord district is about three square kilometers in size. In addition to Alsterdorf, there are twelve other districts in the district. Numerous companies are based in Hamburg-Alsterdorf. The river Alster flows through the district. (sda/dpa)