At least nine people were brutally murdered in Munich on Friday night, in a shooting which brought bloodshed once more to Europe.
Eyewitnesses say a man opened fire at a McDonald’s restaurant outside the Olympia shopping centre in the southern German city shortly before 6pm local time. At least nine victims were killed and ten others injured. The body of the suspected gunman was later found 1km away from the scene and police say they believe he may have died by suicide.
It is feared more fatalities may come as several of those injured are understood to be seriously wounded.
Munich remained in lockdown after the attack as an extensive police operation remained underway. Authorities say they believe the man was acting alone, contrary to initial eye witness reports which suggested up to three attackers may have been involved.
It is feared many of the victims may be children and young people, who were sitting in the restaurant when the gunman struck. One eyewitness said: “I came out of the toilet and I heard, like an alarm, ‘boom, boom, boom’. He was killing the children. They were sitting to eat. They couldn’t run.”
The motive for the attack remains unclear and no organisations or individuals have claimed responsibility yet. One eye witness claimed the man shouted “Allahu Akbar”, while unverified footage posted to social media appeared to show the gunman saying “I am German” and stated he had grown up in a nearby social housing area.
Angela Merkel's chief of staff, Peter Altmeier said it was not possible to rule out a terrorist connection at this stage.
He said: "We aren't ruling out any possibility. I was in close contact with the Bavarian interior minister all afternoon and evening. The Chancellor is being kept up to date at all times everything we know and can say so far is that this was an inhuman, cruel attack.
"Our thoughts are with the victims of this attack. We can't rule out a terrorist connection, we can't confirm this but we investigate in this direction as well."
The horror is the latest in a series of deadly mass attacks in recent times. It follows bloodshed in Nice, Istanbul, Brussels and Paris.
Earlier this week, three people were seriously injured after a teenager attacked passengers on a train in Munich using an axe. Isis claimed responsibility for the attack, which was carried out by a youth from Afghanistan. The 17-year-old was shot dead by police.
Bavaria’s interior minister Joachim Herrmann said he was an asylum seeker who had come to Germany as an unaccompanied minor and had been staying with a foster family “for a few months.”
Munich has been on high alert following the axe attack and extra security measures had been in place.
Leaders around the world have expressed their shock following the shooting and pledged support for Germany as the country seeks to ascertain the facts and bring the perpetrators to justice. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tweeted: “I am deeply shocked and saddened by Munich shootings. My thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones and all Germany at this time.”
Addressing a White House meeting, US President Barack Obama said: “We don't yet know exactly what's happening there, but obviously our hearts go out to those who may have been injured.”
“We are going to pledge all the support they may need.”
Amid the horror, Munich locals expressed solidarity by offering sanctuary to thousands of people stranded on the streets as transport links shut down due to security measures. Residents used the hashtag #OffeneTür meaning ‘Open Door’ to offer their homes or businesses as places to stay.
Mosques in the city remained open overnight, accepting people with nowhere to stay and offering support for those traumatised by events or still searching for loved ones.
Germany’s security council is due to hold an emergency meeting today to address the shootings, led by Chancellor Merkel.
