Afternoon summary
As we wrap up today’s live coverage of the aftermath of the Munich shooting, here’s a summation of what we know thus far.
- The gunman has been identified as 18-year-old Ali Sonboly, who was born in Munich and had both German and Iranian citizenship.
- He killed nine people, most of whom were aged between 13 and 20, before taking his own life. Three were female and six were male.
- Twenty-seven people were injured and 10, including a 13-year-old boy, remain in hospital in a critical condition. Officials said the death toll could rise further.
- Angela Merkel said Germany was in “deep and profound mourning” following the killings and vowed to determine why the gunman had gone on the killing spree.
- Sonboly had been bullied at school, had mental health issues and the shooting did not appear to have been politically motivated, police said.
- Officers searched the flat where he lived with his parents and found nothing to suggest links to terror groups, but seized materials about mass killings including the German translation of a book whose English title is “Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters”.
- Police said Sonboly appeared to have hacked a Facebook account and sent a message urging people to come to the McDonald’s in the Olympia shopping centre if they wanted free food.
- A video has emerged showing the gunman firing a pistol on the rooftop car park of the shopping centre and engaging in a furious shouting match with a bystander, during which he said: “I am German.”
Updated
Inevitably, there continues to be much speculation on social media about Sonboly’s religious background. The German interior minister, Thomas de Maizière, said there was some evidence he was a Christian.
Interior minister: some evidence gnat shooter had converted to Christianity - but not confirmed #MunichShooting pic.twitter.com/yh7Jtr6SfP
— DW | Politics (@dw_politics) July 23, 2016
Meanwhile, Munich police chief, Hubertus Andrae, said there was “absolutely no link to the Islamic State” and described the assault as a “classic act by a deranged person”.
Updated
BBC producer Piers Scholfield in Munich tweets:
More people coming to lay flowers at scene of munich shooting. Just passed group of middle-aged men, tears streaming down their faces.
— Piers Scholfield (@inglesi) July 23, 2016
German newspaper Bild has interviewed Thomas Salbey, the man who filmed the shooter on the roof of the car park near the Olympia shopping centre. My colleague Kate Connolly has translated the interview with the 57-year-old digger driver here.
I was drinking an after-work beer and I heard the shots. First at McDonald’s – bam, bam, bam – that’s what it sounded like.
Then the people ran out of the shopping centre. It is directly underneath our house. I thought, firstly, it was a Kalashnikov that he was shooting with.
Then I looked down from my balcony and saw how the man went through the glass entrance way. He had reloaded his pistol. I threw my beer bottle at him. It shattered on the glass roof. But I think he didn’t hear it anyway.
Salbey said he shouted “arsehole” and “are you crazy” at the gunman when he appeared on the roof. The gunman answered: “I’m German.”
According to Salbey, Sonboly fired in his direction. He said there were bullet holes on his balcony and part of a bullet that prove this.
I went under cover immediately. But I saw how he calmly walked over the car park roof.
Salbey said when the police arrived they did not know the shooter’s location.
I called to them, ‘he’s on the roof of the car park’. I was not scared. I didn’t know whether they were real bullets, or just rubber bullets.
Updated
My colleague Chris Johnston has taken a closer look at the victims of the Munich shooting. He reports:
Seven of the nine people killed in a shooting spree at a Munich shopping mall on Friday were teenagers, including two 13-year-olds.
Police said on Saturday that two victims were 13, three were 14, one was 17 and another was 19. The remaining two were 20 and 45. Six were male and three were female.
Twenty-seven people are being treated in the city’s hospitals for injuries sustained in the attack. Ten people – including a 13-year-old boy – remain in a critical condition and the death toll could rise further, officials warned.
Three of the dead were from Kosovo, three were Turkish and one was Greek, their respective government officials said.
Updated
Spain has condemned the Munich shootings, calling the attack a “senseless, cowardly and criminal act” that had “taken numerous lives and injured several”.
Kosovo president, Hashim Thaçi, has declared Sunday a day of mourning for three young ethnic Albanians who were killed in the Munich shooting.
Thaçi said he considered the two young girls and a man who died as “heroes in the war for the joint freedom and values in Europe”. He added: “That act of violence has touched our hearts and Europe’s consciousness.”
Updated
Munich shooter identified as Ali Sonboly
The gunman who killed nine people and then shot himself has been identified by classmates as Ali Sonboly.
More from our Berlin correspondent Kate Connolly on interior minister Thomas de Maizière.
De Maiziere says the gunman came from a Muslim - Shi'ite background. Might have converted to Christianity, but not religious say his parents
— Kate Connolly (@connollyberlin) July 23, 2016
De Maiziere - confirms the existence of FB account which invited people to come and eat for free at McDonald's, killing them once they came
— Kate Connolly (@connollyberlin) July 23, 2016
German interior minister Thomas de Maizière has confirmed the shooter had no links to international terrorism.
De Maiziere confirms: no indication the #Munich attacker had a connection to internationl terrorism #muenchen
— Kate Connolly (@connollyberlin) July 23, 2016
The Greek foreign ministry has confirmed that a Greek citizen was among the victims of the Munich shooting. A statement said:
The toll of yesterday’s tragic attack at the Olympia shopping mall in Munich unfortunately includes a Greek citizen among the victims.
In these difficult moments, we express our deep condolences to his family and loved ones.
Greece’s consul general in Munich is proceeding to all of the necessary actions, in consultation with the competent German authorities.
Updated
Here’s a clip of Merkel speaking from the BBC.
"We are in profound mourning" - Angela Merkel on the #Munich shooting https://t.co/J8EA6DnrSe
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) July 23, 2016
https://t.co/0TTVR5Goiy
More from Merkel’s brief statement following the cabinet meeting in Berlin today. The German chancellor said she could understand why people are now wondering whether they are safe in public areas where others were present.
However, she sought to reassure citizens that they were safe and praised the “phenomenal” efforts of Germany’s security forces, who worked highly professionally on Friday night.
Merkel vowed that authorities would find out the background to the killings.
Merkel: Germany is in 'deep and profound mourning'
Angela Merkel has just spoken in Berlin.
She says Germany is in deep and profound mourning for those who will never return to their families: “We share in your grief – we think of you and are suffering with you.”
The chancellor said she hoped those injured in Munich would recover quickly.
Friday’s killings had been even more difficult to bear because there had been so many horrors in recent days, Merkel said, such as Nice and the axe and knife attacks on a train in Bavaria last week.
Updated
Lunchtime summary
Ten people have been killed – including the gunman – and at least 16 injured in a shooting at a shopping mall in the German city of Munich.
Here is what we know so far:
- The gunman has been identified as an 18-year-old with dual German and Iranian nationality, who was born in Munich.
- The shooting started at 5.52pm when gunshots were fired at a McDonald’s near the large Olympia shopping centre (OEZ) in the northern Moosach area of the Bavarian capital.
- Nine people were killed at the shopping centre, according to police. Police said a body, discovered about 1 km (0.6 miles) from the scene, was found to be that of the attacker.
- The deceased were aged between 13 and 45, and included three women and seven men, including the shooter.
- A video that has since gone viral on social media later appeared to show a gunman firing a pistol on the rooftop car park of the shopping centre and engaging in a furious shouting match with a bystander, during which he said: “I am German!”
- A major police operation, including elite anti-terror units, was launched in the city, Germany’s third biggest. Police initially said that based on various witness reports, they were hunting up to three suspects armed with rifles who may have been involved in shootings at multiple locations.
- Munich central station was closed and evacuated and the underground system and bus network were also suspended. The transport network has since been re-opened and is returning to normal.
- The shooter had conducted research into mass shootings and does not appear to have had links to Islamic State, a police press conference has heard.
- He was not a refugee but born in Munich, had mental health issues and does not appear to have been politically motivated.
- The gunman used an unlicenced Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol and had a bag with 300 rounds of ammunition.
- Police have searched the shooter’s flat and found nothing to suggest links to terror groups but they did find materials about spree-shootings, including a book called Amok im Kopf: Warum Schüler töten. The English title of which is “Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters”.
- Munich police investigator Robert Heimberger said it appears reports of a fake Facebook post being sent to lure victims are correct. It appears the shooter hacked a Facebook account and sent a message urging people to come to the mall for a free giveaway at McDonald’s.
Updated
Munich police have suggested the gunman had an interest in mass shootings and shooters, including the Norwegian far-right terrorist Anders Breivik.
The shooting took place on the fifth anniversary of Breivik’s mass killings in Oslo and Utoya, in which he killed 77 people.
Due to his obsession with mass shootings investigators in #Munich work on assumption Ali S wanted to 'mark' 5th anniv of Utøya murders
— Kate Connolly (@connollyberlin) July 23, 2016
Updated
British cyclist Chris Froome has observed a minute’s silence in Megeve at start of the 20th stage of the Tour de France.
Updated
Three Munich victims were Turkish - Turkish foreign minister
Three Turkish citizens were among nine people killed in the shooting on Friday, Turkey’s foreign minister has said.
In an interview with local television station NTV, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu identified the Turkish victims of the attack carried out by an 18-year-old near a busy shopping mall as two teenagers and a woman.
Updated
The book found in the shooter’s flat appears to have been “Amok Im Kopf, Warum Schüler töten” by US academic Dr Peter Langman. The English language version is titled “Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters”.
Here's book found in #Munich shooter's flat written by US academic Peter Langman. English and German translations. pic.twitter.com/AVjEroEEJW
— Jamie Grierson (@JamieGrierson) July 23, 2016
Updated
Shooter 'hacked Facebook account to lure victims' - Munich police
Munich police investigator Robert Heimberger told the conference it appears reports of a fake Facebook post being set up to lure victims are correct, AP reports.
It appears the shooter hacked a Facebook account and sent a message urging people to come to the mall for a free giveaway at McDonald’s.
The posting, sent from a young woman’s account, urged people to come to the mall at 4pm, saying: “I’ll give you something if you want, but not too expensive.”
Heimberger says: “It appears it was prepared by the suspect and then sent out.”
The woman shortly after reported that her account had been hacked.
Updated
Bavaria’s state premier Horst Seehofer is visibly moved as he says it is the second time in six days that he has had to give a statement about an attack.
He thanks the world for their messages of sympathy. He insists “we have to continue to live our lives and our values”.
Shooter had no links to Isis - police chief
The Munich shooter had conducted research into mass shootings and does not appear to have had links to Islamic State, a police press conference has heard.
The 18-year-old German-Iranian was not a refugee but born in Munich, had mental health issues and does not appear to have been politically motivated, the conference heard.
The gunman shot dead nine people and then killed himself with an unlicenced Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol. A further 27 were injured.
Police have searched the shooter’s flat and found nothing to suggest links to terror groups but they did find books and documents about spree-shootings, including a book translated as “Rampage in Head: Why Students Kill”. Computers have been seized and a bag recovered at the crime scene was full of 300 rounds of ammunition.
The attacker’s family were yet to be interviewed as they were in shock, the conference was told.
The deceased were aged between 13 and 45 and included three women and seven men, including the shooter.
Updated
The shooter had been receiving psychiatric and medical care, the conference hears.
It will take some time to investigate whether the shooter was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the conference hears.
The shooter had a Glock-17, a semi-automatic pistol, the conference hears, but he did not have a licence for the weapon.
Updated
Computers have been seized from the shooter’s flat, the conference hears.
The shooter’s parents have not been in a fit state to provide statements, the conference hears.
All victims live in the local area, no tourists are included, the conference hears.
The deceased are aged between 13 to 45 and include three females and seven males, including the shooter, the conference hears.
Updated
Andrae tells the conference 4,310 emergency calls were made as the attack unfolded between 6pm and midnight.
A question has been asked about the alleged Facebook post offering free McDonald’s meals.
The conference hears that this is a line of enquiry they are investigating.
Updated
The shooter did not appear to have any political motivation, the conference hears.
The shooter had a single gunshot wound to the head, the conference hears, so suicide has been assumed.
Andrae says the police fired at the shooter but did not hit him.
The shooter had a 2mm weapon, he also had around 300 rounds in his bag, the conference hears.
There were no Isis-related signs in his home, however, documents and books were found in relation to spree-shootings, the conference hears.
10 dead in Munich shootings - Munich police chief
Andrae says 10 are dead, 27 are injured, including 10 seriously injured.
Updated
Munich police hold press conference
Munich police are holding a press conference on the shootings.
Munich police president Hubertus Andrae says there are no indications that the gunman who killed himself had extra help and he was not a refugee.
He was 18 years old and born in Munich. His room has been searched and nothing has been found to link him to Islamic State.
Updated
Members of the Bavarian cabinet observed a minute’s silence for the victims of Friday’s shooting spree.
Updated
German Bundesliga champions, FC Bayern Munich, have paid tribute on Twitter to those impacted by the shootings.
"'We're horrified" - the thoughts of everyone at #FCBayern are with those impacted by yesterday's events #Munich pic.twitter.com/st3cjgRPJI
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) July 23, 2016
Updated
Bavarian broadcaster Bayerische Rundfunk is reporting that among the dead are two females and six males, aged 14 to 21. A 45-year-old woman is also among the victims. Currently 16 people are being treated in Munich hospitals. Two are very seriously injured.
Meanwhile one of David S’s neighbours in the Maxvorstadt neighbourhood of Munich has told local media: “The lad was very, very nice. I really can’t say anthing bad about him.”
Updated
Details of gunman's identity emerge
The attacker has been identified by police so far only by his first name, ‘David’ and the initial S for his surname, but this is likely to be pseudonym. It is believed he lived with his parents in the Maxvorstadt district of the city. Police and forensic experts have been seen entering an apartment in the are and taking away belongings.
Police say David S was not known to them. But they are working on the assumption that he is the same man seen on a video filmed on a mobile phone that has gone viral, showing a man on the roof of a car park, in an angry exchange with a resident from a nearby housing block.
In the video, the 18-year-old is heard to say: “I am German”, while residents shout abuse at him, including the work ‘kanake’ which is a derogatory term for foreigner. He is believed to say in the video he was born in Germany, and comes from a ‘Hartz IV area’. He adds that he has been “undergoing treatment”. Hartz IV is the social security paid to long-termed unemployed people, introduced under the chancellorship of Gerhard Schröder about 12 years ago.
Munich police have urged the public to upload to its website any other mobile phone videos taken at the scene of the crime, which could help them with their investigations.
Updated
Some heartbreaking images have come into the Guardian picture desk of a father clutching a photograph of his son, believed to be one of the victim’s of the shooting. He appears to have arrived at the scene of the shooting earlier this morning.
Updated
We now have a full translated transcript of the furious exchange between the alleged gunman as he paces on a car park rooftop and a witness, who filmed the conversation from a higher vantage point.
Interesting exchange in German (((
— InterGarfield (@InterGarfield) July 22, 2016
pic.twitter.com/OKnZTTWnDN
Here’s the full translated transcript:
Man on the balcony: “You fucking asshole you.”
Alleged shooter: “Because of you I was bullied for seven years …”
Man: “You cunt you. You’re a cunt.”
Shooter: “… And now I have to buy a gun to shoot you.”
Man: “A gun? Fuck off – your head isn’t on right.”
Shooter and man on balcony shouting at each other, inaudible
Man apparently to people filming: “He’s got a gun, here, the guy has one.”
Unknown speaker: “Shit/fucking Turks!”
Man: “Shit/fucking foreigners!”
Man to someone else: “He’s got a gun. He has loaded his gun. Get the cops here.”
Shooter: “I am German.”
Man: “You’re a cunt is what you are.”
Shooter: “Stop filming.”
Man: “A cunt is what you are, what the fuck are you doing?”
Shooter: “Yeah what, I was born here.”
Man: “Yeah and what the fuck you think you’re doing?”
Shooter: “I grew up here in the Hartz IV (unemployment benefits in Germany) area.”
Man and shooter talk at same time, inaudible
Shooter: “I haven’t done anything here for [inaudible].
Just shut your fucking face man”
Man: “You cunt you.”
Man away from shooter: “Hey, he’s on the upper floor here, [inaudible]”
Man goes into cover, shooter starts firing and man shouts something at him about “shooting here”
Shooter: “Yeah, that’s where you’re right. Yeah you’re right with that. Yeah you’re right.”
Updated
There are reports that the shooter may have set up a fake Facebook account under a female name through which he attempted to encourage people to come down to the OEZ McDonald’s.
Under the female guise, it is claimed the gunman offered in a post to buy anyone who came down a free meal.
According to reports, the account was created a short time before the posts and was then disabled while the shooting was taking place on Friday.
The Guardian has not been able to independently verify these reports.
Updated
Journalists reporting an ongoing heavy police presence at the OEZ mall.
Still heavy police presence at #Munich's Olympia shopping center. pic.twitter.com/sD05dnzicj
— Dana Regev (@Dana_Regev) July 23, 2016
CNN spoke to a woman, named only as a Loretta, who said she witnessed the shooting as she hid in a shop next door to the McDonald’s.
She said her eight-year-old son witnessed the shooter loading his weapon in the men’s toilets in McDonald’s. She said:
I come out of the toilet and I hear like an alarm, boom, boom, boom. He’s killing the children. The children were sitting to eat. They can’t run.
She also said the man yelled: ‘Allahu Akbar’
She said she recognised this phrase as she herself is Muslim from Kosovo, according to CNN.
Updated
The German foreign office has confirmed the security cabinet is to meet the chancellor, Angela Merkel.
#Munich: At 12.30pm the security cabinet meets at the Chancellery. Chllr #Merkel,different Ministers+heads of security authorities take part
— GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) July 23, 2016
Updated
German media reporting public transport links that were shut down are starting to resume nearly-normal services.
Reports that subway line 3 in #Munich running again, but does not stop #OEZ shopping mall https://t.co/x3ldXgtOEx
— Andy Eckardt (@ameckardt) July 23, 2016
Updated
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has sent condolences to the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and the chief minister of Bavaria over the Munich attacks, reports Reuters, quoting Russian news agencies.
Updated
Hi, it’s Jamie Grierson here, taking on the live blog. The German ambassador in London says his thoughts are with families.
Grateful for many expressions of sympathy and support by British and International friends #shooting #Munich. Thoughts are with families.
— Ambassador Ammon (@GermanAmbUK) July 23, 2016
Updated
Iran condemns the shooting
Iran has condemned the attack, which police say was carried out by a teenage German-Iranian gunman.
Foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi denounced “the killing of innocent and defenceless people” and expressed Iran’s solidarity with the German government and people, official IRNA news agency reported.
Ghasemi also called for a “relentless and comprehensive fight” to eradicate violence.
Overnight armed officers carried out raids on apartments in Munich.
Updated
Police interview gunman's father – reports
The German newspaper Bild is reporting that the gunman’s father is being interviewed by police. Forensic teams are searching the apartment where the gunman lived with his parents. The report says the suspect lived in the district of Maxvorstadt.
Neighbours of the attacker told German media that he was a “quiet guy.”
“He lived right next to me,” German newspaper Bild quoted a neighbour as saying. “A friend of mine went to school with him and said he was rather a quiet guy. He recognised him from the videos from the scene.”
Updated
What we know so far
- Nine people were shot and killed, and a further 21 injured, in an attack at a shopping centre in Munich on Friday evening.
- Despite early reports of multiple attackers, there was only one gunman, whom police identified as an 18-year-old with dual German and Iranian citizenship.
- The gunman shot himself, bringing the death toll to ten.
- His motive is still “fully unknown”, the chief of Munich police told a press conference in the early hours of Saturday morning.
- Before killing himself, the gunman became involved in a furious exchange with a bystander, telling him “I am German!”
- Sixteen people remain in hospital, police said, three of whom are in “serious” condition. Children are among the victims.
- Angela Merkel will meet intelligence officials in Berlin in the wake of the attack on Saturday.
- Police will give a further update at noon.
- The French president has said the attack was “disgusting terrorism”.
- The White House condemned “in the strongest terms” what it described as an “apparent terrorist attack”.
Updated
There is a strong police presence on the streets of Munich.
Updated
Fears over Bayreuth opera festival
Germany’s legendary Bayreuth opera festival dedicated to the works of Richard Wagner opens on Monday, but Agence France-Presse reports that security fears and off-stage drama threaten to cast a long shadow over the 140-year-old event.
The curtain is due to go up just days after the Munich shootings and one week after five people were after injured in an axe attack on a Bavarian train in Würzburg that was claimed by Islamic State.
Bayreuth is just a two-hour drive from both places.
Tighter security on Bayreuth’s Green Hill – where the Festspielhaus festival theatre stands – has been in place since the start of rehearsals in June. AFP reports:
Town authorities called for stepped measures following rumours that this year’s new production, which no one has seen yet, of Richard Wagner’s last opera, “Parsifal”, could be seen as being critical of Islam.
According to media reports, subsequently dismissed by the production’s director Uwe Eric Laufenberg, the Flowermaidens in the opera were to have worn burqas.
Festival insiders say the heightened security could sour the hitherto idyllic summer atmosphere in Bayreuth’s world-famous Festspielhaus, the theatre built to Wagner’s own designs.
Updated
Merkel to meet intelligence officials
In the wake of the attacks, German chancellor Angela Merkel is due to meet her chief of staff, Peter Altmaier, interior minister Thomas de Maiziere and a host of intelligence officials today to review the incident.
Updated
'I am German!' – gunman caught on film
Video has been posted on Twitter that appears to show the gunman being confronted by a man who asks him “What the fuck are you doing?”
Read more about the exchange here:
Updated
Dawn has broken in Munich.
Updated
German and British papers have featured the Munich attack on their front pages:
Bloodbath in Munich. @BILD front page #tomorrowspaperstoday @AllieHBNews @suttonnick pic.twitter.com/B7JXsi6yio
— Tanit Koch (@tanit) July 22, 2016
Saturday's Independent: 'Where will it end?' #bbcpapers #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/b4Ea4gjjHL
— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) July 22, 2016
Saturday's Guardian: 'Europe stunned again by multiple shootings in Munich' #bbcpapers #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/ViyRYE20BJ
— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) July 22, 2016
Tomorrow's front page: Terror in Munich #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/r94jFXVmaT
— The Times of London (@thetimes) July 22, 2016
Saturday's Daily Telegraph: 'Manhunt after gun rampage on Munich shopping centre' #bbcpapers #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/4FvPUGd7RW
— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) July 22, 2016
'Bodies and injured people'
AP reports that survivors of the attack described terrifying scenes:
“We entered McDonald’s to eat ... then there was panic, and people ran out,” one woman told Bavarian public television. She said she heard three gunshots, “children were crying, people rushed to the exit in panic”.
A man who said he worked at one of the shops in the mall, described how he came face-to-face with the shooter. “I looked towards him, he fired at two people and I fled the building by climbing a wall. And then I saw bodies and injured people.”
Updated
Police to hold another press conference at noon
Wir werden gegen Mittag im Rahmen einer weiteren Pressekonferenz den Stand der Ermittlungen aktualisieren. #Schießerei #München #oez
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) July 23, 2016
Hollande: Munich shooting is 'disgusting terrorist attack'
The shooting in Munich was a “disgusting terrorist attack” aimed at stirring up fear in Germany after France was targeted last week, French president François Hollande said early on Saturday, according to Reuters.
The terrorist attack that struck Munich killing many people is a disgusting act that aims to foment fear in Germany after other European countries,” Hollande said in a statement.
Germany will resist, it can count on France’s friendship and cooperation.”
Hollande said he would speak to the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, on Saturday morning.
Updated
Munich police have thanked the city’s residents for their help.
#schießerei #münchen
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) July 23, 2016
Wir sind gerührt von der Hilfsbereitschaft der Münchner Bevölkerung. #offenetüren
Vielen Dank! #gemeinsamfürMünchen
The police chief also thanked the 2,300 members of the force that were called in to work during the attack.
Polizeipräsident Andrä bedankt sich bei den 2.300 Einsatzkräften für ihr Engagement und die Einsatzbereitschaft.#schießerei #münchen
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) July 23, 2016
Terror returns to Munich
The shooting has echoes of the 1972 attack at the Munich Olympics and took place close to the former Olympic village.
Read more about the attack and how it unfolded on live television, here:
Updated
Hello, it’s Bonnie Malkin taking over the blog now from Nicky. Around the world, flags are flying at half-mast for the victims of the Munich attack.
Flags at half mast for #Munich. Still waiting for a clearer picture of the entire situation. pic.twitter.com/3uQXjmm8QO
— German Embassy (@GermanyinUSA) July 22, 2016
Flags at half mast outside our mission. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families tonight. #Munich. pic.twitter.com/J1bgKNB7QJ
— German Mission to UN (@GermanyUN) July 22, 2016
To honor victims of attack in #Munich, City Hall will be lit with colors of the German flag tonight until July 25, NYC mayor’s office says.
— Dan Linden (@DanLinden) July 22, 2016
Here's where things stand at 3:30am GMT
- Nine people were shot and killed, and a further 21 injured, in an attack at a shopping center in Munich on Friday evening
- Despite early reports of multiple attackers, there was only one gunman, whom police identified as an 18-year-old with dual German and Iranian citizenship.
- The gunman shot himself, bringing the death toll to ten
- His motive is still “fully unknown”, the chief of Munich police told a press conference in the early hours of Saturday morning
- Sixteen people remain in hospital, police said, three of whom are in “serious” condition
- The White House condemned “in the strongest terms” what it described as an “apparent terrorist attack”
Early in the events the media spokesman for the anti-immigrant party Alternative fuer Deutschland tweeted about the attack with an explicit message to “Vote AfD!”.
The tweet was subsequently deleted, but not before it was captured by Bastian Brauns, apparently a journalist with Die Zeit.
Netter Versuch @christianlueth.
— Bastian Brauns (@BastianBrauns) July 22, 2016
Tweet löschen hilft Ihnen auch nicht weiter. Unfassbar. #München #Munich pic.twitter.com/bAf7HQuAm1
The first tweet reads:
“People are dying. The AfD is conducting an election campaign.”
Then:
“Nice try @christianleuth. Deleting the tweet doesn’t help you. Unbelievable.”
And the original tweet:
“Vote AfD! Shots fired at the Olympia shopping centre: people dead in Munich. Police say there is an acute terrorism situation.”
An interesting tidbit from the press conference: a journalist asked a question about a “fake game” on Facebook that may have led people to believe the McDonalds where the attack took place was giving out free meals.
The police chief said they were aware of it but couldn’t say if it was in any way linked.
Updated
He ends with thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims, and says there is “no more danger.”
There are also teenagers among the dead, police chief Andra adds.
The attacker had both German and Iranian citizenship, Andra says.
There are children among the injured, he says, and teenagers.
The motive for the shooting, according to the police chief, remains “fully unclear” at this point.
Asked about how many gunshots were fired and the type of weapon used in the shooting, Andra says that the investigation is still ongoing and they would not be releasing that information.
He says that the victims’ names would not be released until all of the families have been contacted.
The gunman had lived in Munich for a long time, police chief Hubertus Andra tells the press conference, and had no previous criminal record.
The press conference is starting now.
The attacker was an 18-year-old German of Iranian descent. His body was found at 8:30pm local time, having shot himself.
There were 10 dead, including the attacker, police say, and 21 wounded. There is no motive as yet.
A quick summary of what we know so far before this press conference starts (it was set for approximately 2am local time – 1am BST, 8pm EDT – but it is running late).
- 10 are dead following a shooting at the Olympia shopping mall in Munich. One of those is thought to be the gunman.
- At least 21 are wounded according to Agence France-Presse.
- The city’s public transportation is back up and running.
- And the police investigation is ongoing.
Updated
Munich police are urging people to stop publishing pictures of the victims.
This tweet says: “To all those who publish pictures of victims: STOP IT! Have respect for the suffering of the families.”
An alle, die Bilder von Opfern veröffentlichen: HÖRT AUF DAMIT!
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) July 22, 2016
Habt Respekt vor dem Leid der Angehörigen.#Schießerei #münchen
Updated
Nicky Woolf here, taking over from Kevin Rawlinson.
We’re just under 10 minutes away from a press conference by the Munich police department. We expect them to give the all-clear and say that the gunman, who acted alone, is dead – they’ve already tweeted as much.
We found a man, who killed him himself.
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) July 22, 2016
We assume, that he was the only shooter. #gunfire #munich
Public transport has also now been restored.
Alle regulären öffentlichen Verkehrsmittel fahren wieder.#Schießerei #München
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) July 22, 2016
What we don’t know much about yet is the motive for the attack. They may have more details on that at the press conference.
Updated
I’m handing this live blog over to my colleague Nicky Woolf, who’ll update you from here on.
'Cautious all-clear' in Munich
Police are giving a “cautious all-clear”, saying they found one man in connection with the attack who took his own life. There is a “high probability” that he acted alone, officers say.
We found a man, who killed him himself.
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) July 22, 2016
We assume, that he was the only shooter. #gunfire #munich
Meanwhile, the police spokesman Marcus da Gloria Martins has said the number of injured stands at about 21, my colleague Kate Connolly says. That number includes both serious and mild injuries.
Updated
Death toll rises, say police
Munich police now say that there are 10 people dead, including one possible gunman after Saturday night’s shootings.
Updated
Unconfirmed reports in German media suggest that police have found a car thought to belong to a perpetrator; a mid-range vehicle that they have taken away for closer forensic inspection.
There were reports earlier in local media that about 20 people had been injured. Police have confirmed “at least 10” are injured but said the situation is still not clear:
We know of at least 10 injured persons. Police operations are still running. The Situation is still not clear.#gunfire #munich
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) July 22, 2016
Updated
Deutsche Bahn, the national rail operator, is allowing people to sleep in stationary night trains, and numerous mosques across Munich are staying open all night to offer shelter to those who have nowhere to go.
As Elena Cresci mentioned earlier, the hashtag #OffenTür (open door) is being used on Twitter to provide shelter to people.
Updated
Flags will fly at half mast on official buildings across Germany on Saturday. The country’s interior minister, Thomas de Maizière – currently flying back from New York – will head straight to Munich on Saturday morning to form his own impression of events.
Updated
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, is to convene a meeting of the country’s security council on Saturday to address the shootings, her chief of staff Peter Altmaier has said.
He told ZDF public television that Merkel was being “constantly briefed” on developments. “The cabinet ministers concerned are on their way to Berlin,” he said.
Beyond the chancellor and her chief of staff, the German security council includes the ministers for foreign affairs, defence and interior affairs as well as other top officials. Altmaier said the council would compile and evaluate the available information.
“We are determined to do everything we can so that terror and inhuman violence stand no chance in Germany,” Agence France-Presse quoted him as saying.
“Our thoughts are with the victims of the attack, with their loved ones and also with the police who are defending freedom and security.”
Merkel had been due to start holidays in the Alps. Her interior minister, Thomas de Maizière – who was on a flight to New York when the shootings began – is reported to be heading back to Berlin.
Updated
The Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has said his prayers are with those affected by the “horrible attacks”.
This cannot continue. The rise of terrorism threatens the way of life for all civilised people, and we must do everything in our power to keep it from our shores.
There are now unconfirmed reports in local media that about 20 people are injured; some of them very gravely. Earlier, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German foreign minister, said that local authorities were doing all they could to save lives.
Also, it is reported that the bag referred to earlier is a backpack that appears to match the one the shooter at McDonald’s was carrying. Police are reportedly preparing to use a robot to investigate it.
Updated
Police are requesting that any photos or videos that could help them be sent in:
Important:
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) July 22, 2016
Please don't publish Fotos/Videos of #gunfire #Munich.
Please help us and send these files to us underhttps://t.co/29Df0qGgM6
A police spokesman has said that around 100 eyewitnesses who have come forward and are being looked after by officers, as well as giving them statements.
Updated
Local media are putting out unconfirmed reports that a 15-year-old girl is among the dead and that injured children have been admitted to children’s hospitals in Munich.
Updated
Nice: Mosques in Munich open all night for everyone stuck because of road blocks https://t.co/Cc6KCTSd9l
— Sune Engel Rasmussen (@SuneEngel) July 22, 2016
A witness, Luan Zequiri, said he was at the scene when the shooting broke out near the McDonald’s restaurant.
He told the German broadcaster N-tv that he heard the attacker yell an anti-foreigner slur and “there was a really loud scream”.
He said he saw only one attacker, who was wearing boots and a backpack. Zequiri said: “I looked in his direction and he shot two people on the stairs.” Zequiri then hid and made his escape when the way was clear.
According to local media, the ninth dead person is believed by police to be one of the killers. His body was found 45 minutes ago on a green stretch near the Olympia shopping centre; 1km away from the scene of the crime.
The veteran police reporter Oliver Bendixen told Tagesthemen that the body found was believed to be that of the perpetrator who opened fire in front of the McDonald’s restaurant.
But police want to approach his body with great caution, believing there might be explosives in a bag. They are going to send a robot to investigate his body, Bendixen said.
The police have not confirmed these reports.
Updated
Munich police are now adding that one person appears to have killed themselves. They are checking whether or not they are one of the attackers.
Il y a aussi un suicidant. On éprouve la complicité. #München, #oez, #schießerei
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) July 22, 2016
Updated
Peter Altmaier, Angela Merkel’s closest adviser, has just told the local TV programme Tagesthemen that no theories are being excluded.
He said the attack was terrible and the thoughts of the German chancellor were with the relatives of the victims. Altmaier added that the state of Bavaria and the federal government were working closely together to try to limit the number of deaths.
Altmaier praised the work of Bavaria’s police, but said the operation was still very much under way, and would carry on through the night.
Asked about evidence of an Islamist background, he said: “We’re excluding nothing but there’s no clarity at this stage, and we know nothing for sure.”
The show’s presenter, Thomas Roth, asked Altmaier: “We always hoped Germany would be spared such an attack. Then we had Würzburg [when a teenager attacked train passengers with an axe three days ago] and now this – what has changed regarding Germany’s security situation?”
Altmaier replied: “We always said that such a threat should be expected ... and that we should do all we can to prevent it. Five years ago, Norway suffered an attack by [Anders Behring] Breivik ... we know that terrorism is there, and an Islamist terrorism, which tries to attack as many people as possible.
“We understand now that the perpetrator of Nice did not work on his own, which only brings home to us how aware we need to be, and how closely together we need to work. We can’t talk down this risk ... so, we need to give our security people the means they need to fight this ... we did this after 9/11, and we will continue to do so in the future.”
Updated
Asked if this was a terror attack, a police spokesman said: “If a man with a gun in a shopping centre opens fire and eight people are dead, we have to work on the assumption that this was not a normal crime and was a terrorist act.”
He confirmed that the police were looking for three perpetrators and said officers were getting support from elite units but have not found any weapons.
Police have no evidence that the danger zone extends any further than the area around the Olympia shopping centre. But, until the situation is clear, they are urging people to stay at home.
Updated
Police are now saying that there are nine people are dead. They do not know at this stage – but are checking – if the additional person is one of the gunmen.
Police are still searching the OEZ, described as a “gargantuan building”. All the shoppers and shop assistants are now said to have been evacuated but police are still searching the building in case shooters are still in there.
Updated
Speaking at the United Nations in New York, Boris Johnson, the British foreign secretary, has said:
Everybody is shocked and saddened by what has taken place. Our thoughts are very much with the victims, their families, with the people of Munich, and the people of Germany more widely.
If, as seems very likely, this is another terrorist incident, then I think it proves once again that we have a global phenomenon now and a global sickness that we have to tackle both at source – in the areas where the cancer is being incubated in the Middle East – and also of course around the world.
Updated
Tagesthemen, the flagship evening TV news programme, has given the following emergency numbers:
Police information line - 089 2910 1910
Number for missing persons - 0800 77 66 350
Updated
Death toll rises to eight.
“Sad news: the number of dead rises to eight,” say police in a tweet:
Sadly there are eight fatal casualties now.#gunfire #munich #oez
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) July 22, 2016
Updated
What we know so far
What we do know
- At least six people have been killed and an unknown number injured in a shooting in Munich. Police have referred to the incident as a terror attack.
- At 5.52pm, gunshots were fired at a McDonald’s near the Olympia shopping centre (OEZ) in the northern Moosach area of the Bavarian capital.
- A video appears to show one of the gunman on the rooftop car park of the shopping centre.
- A major police operation is under way. Police have said that up to three suspects armed with rifles are being hunted. No one has been arrested so far and officials have no indication of the attackers’ whereabouts.
- Police have said all shoppers have now left the shopping centre.
- The German government has set up a crisis response unit.
- Residents have been warned via Munich’s smartphone warning system to avoid public places, stay in their homes where possible and turn on the TV and radio.
- Munich central station and underground system is closed and has been evacuated. Motorists on the motorway into Munich have been asked to clear the road for police and emergency service vehicles.
- Hospitals throughout Munich are on emergency alert and in “catastrophe mode”.
- Police have said they could not confirm earlier reports of one or two other shootings elsewhere in the city, including in a large square known locally as Stachus.
What we don’t know:
- No claim of responsibility has been made and there is no indication so far of the attackers’ motives.
- It is not yet clear how many attackers opened fire or whether the shootings, described as a “rampage” by police, amounted to a coordinated or planned attack.
Updated
German interior minister Thomas de Maizière, who was on a flight to the United States for a holiday, is interrupting his trip and heading home, the DPA news agency reported.
Chancellery staff met on Friday evening to assess the situation in Munich but Chancellor Angela Merkel was not present, DPA said.
Updated
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called the news from Munich “shocking”. He said: “My thoughts are with the people of the city at this time.”
Monitoring the horrific situation in Munich. We stand with our friends in Germany as they work to bring those responsible to justice. -H
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 22, 2016
Updated
Facebook has set up a safety check for people to let their loved ones know they are OK.
And police have set up a hotline for people wanting to check on the status of family and friends:
Wichtige Tel-Nr
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) July 22, 2016
Die zentrale Auskunfts- und Vermisstenstelle für Angehörige (GAST) erreicht Ihr unter
0800 7766350#Schießerei #münchen #oez
Updated
Germany’s elite GSG 9 unit has flown in to Munich. Members – armed and masked but dressed otherwise unassumingly in T-shirts, trainers and shorts – were spotted alongside local police, who were on the scene within minutes of the first emergency call having been received.
Bavaria’s interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, and Bavaria’s prime minister, Horst Seehofer, were holding a crisis meeting this evening.
The city has set up a separate crisis team.
Updated
Cars on the autobahn into and out of Munich have been asked to leave it to free up the road for emergency vehicles.
Hospitals throughout Munich are on emergency alert with staff, including doctors, surgeons and nurses, having been called in to await any casualties.
Among the parts of the city to be evacuated was Munich Central Station. People are reported to have screamed and scrambled over railway platforms as the police ordered them to leave the station.
The same station was a focal point last summer and autumn during the refugee crisis, when hundreds of thousands of refugees arrived in the city via Austria and Hungary, into the southern German capital. Many were greeted by locals, who welcomed them with food, water and cuddly toys, in moving scenes that went around the world.
Germany accepted around 1.1 million refugees last year after chancellor Angela Merkel said the country would not turn anyone away.
Updated
#MUNICH UPDATE Significant slowdown in posts on IS-linked Telegram channels as news spread that the attack may be another group's handiwork.
— Michael S. Smith II (@MichaelSSmithII) July 22, 2016
A Munich police spokesman says there is no indication of Islamist terror.
Six dead, German police say
German police have confirmed that there was a shooting in Hanauer Street, adjacent to the shopping centre. Six people have been killed and an unknown number injured.
“We are telling the people of Munich there are shooters on the run who are dangerous,” a spokesman told reporters, adding that the police were looking for three perpetrators. “We are urging people to stay indoors.”
[1/1] Unknown number of injured victims - sadly there are six fatal casualties #gunfire #munich
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) July 22, 2016
[2/2] Other crime scenes than Hanauer Str. can not be confirmed #gunfire #munich
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) July 22, 2016
Updated
The Bavarian broadcaster BR is reporting that six people have been killed. This has not been officially confirmed by the authorities.
Police have said that, while they do not yet know the motive, terrorism is suspected.
The US president, Barack Obama, has pledged support for Germany.
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.
Updated
Two past atrocities involving marauding shooting attacks led western police and security forces to review their tactics and plans to deal with such events.
The first was the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India, which began with marauding gunmen shooting their way across parts of the city popular with tourists. In that attack, the terrorists took hostages at three locations, before armed forces ended the siege. In the UK, weaponry and tactics for armed law enforcement were changed in response to Mumbai.
The second attack to provoke a review was in Paris last November, when multiple gun men killed 130 people. In that attack, so-called soft targets were struck while people were dining and enjoying music on a Friday evening.
Senior security officials described the Paris attacks as a “game changer” showing the capability of terrorists to wreak carnage was at the upper end of what officials feared.
The threat of a marauding terrorist attack has been feared for years in Europe. Both Islamic State and al-Qaida are known to have planned them.
Authorities have worked on knowing where attackers are in a dynamic, dangerous and confused situation and how to best rush armed assets to where the terrorists are.
Knowing what is going on can be immensely difficult for the authorities. In the UKm police have staged training exercises assessing how they would cope with marauding gun attacks. Across Europe, police and security services were monitoring the unfolding situation in Munich.
Updated
Janek Schmidt is reporting for the Guardian at the scene in Munich. He spoke to Cansu Muyan, who lives near the Olympia shopping centre, who said she had been inside with her sister when the attack began. “I suddenly saw everyone running past. Then a shopkeeper told us all to leave as quickly as possible so we all started running as well.”
A man was weeping nearby, terrified because he could not reach his daughter who had been inside the mall at the time of the shooting.
Munich authorities have declared an emergency using the city’s smartphone warning system, Die Welt reports.
Residents have been warned not to leave their homes: “For your own safety, avoid squares and streets: perpetrators are on the run. Train and bus transport suspended. Turn radio and TV on.”
Separately, German railways said Munich’s mainline station was closed.
Updated
US citizens in #Munich advised to shelter in place. Media reports of shots fired at Olympia shopping mall: pic.twitter.com/DWRw6CGa7q
— Travel - State Dept (@TravelGov) July 22, 2016
There are conflicting reports about whether gunmen are active only in the vicinity of the shopping centre or elsewhere in Munich. The latest police advice is as follows:
Unconfirmed reports of more violence and possible #gunfire in the City Center. Situation is unclear. Please avoid public Areas. #munich #oez
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) July 22, 2016
Police in Munich are saying that they have received reports from witnesses of three gunmen in the area surrounding the Olympia shopping centre. The witnesses said they saw gunmen in Hanauer Street and Ries Street.
They say that all available forces are being deployed but no one has been arrested. “Due to the unclear situation we ask all people in the metropolitan area to stay at home and those in nearby buildings to seek shelter.” Public transport is closed.
Updated
Here's a story with the original photo of the shooting in South Africa, not #Munich https://t.co/L88i6dkO69 pic.twitter.com/otYHQT7xDw
— First Draft (@firstdraftnews) July 22, 2016
Updated
Some more details from Munich police. A spokeswoman has said: “We believe we are dealing with a shooting rampage.
“We believe there was more than one perpetrator. The first reports came at 6pm, the shooting apparently began at a McDonald’s in the shopping centre. There are still people in the shopping centre. We are trying to get the people out and take care of them.”
No one had been arrested, she said.
Updated
Authorities say three dead
The German interior ministry has confirmed three dead, according to local media.
Reports of shootings at Karlsplatz, Stachus and Odeonplatz are unconfirmed. Odeonplatz is around 7km away from the Olympia shopping centre. Either the same man who fled the shopping centre, or various perpetrators, are on the loose.
Updated
German police say they do not know where the attackers are and advises people to avoid public places.
Wir wissen derzeit nicht wo sich die Täter befinden.Passt auf Euch auf und meidet nach wie vor die Öffentlichkeit #oez #münchen #schießerei
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) July 22, 2016
Updated
The shooting began at a McDonald’s restaurant, a police spokeswoman has told the local BR24 news outlet, and it is not yet known whether there were one or more attackers.
Video footage seen by the Guardian also appears to show a man shooting outside a McDonald’s restaurant.
Updated
The British Foreign Office has issued an alert warning British citizens in Munich to follow the instructions of the authorities.
“There are reports of an incident at the Munich Olympia shopping centre. You are advised to avoid this location and follow the advice of local authorities,” it said in updated travel advice on Germany.
Updated
Police are now also asking people not to post images or videos of the police operation online, in order to avoid helping any attacker:
Bitte keine Fotos/Filme von polizeilichen Maßnahmen online stellen. Unterstützt nicht die Täter! #oez #Schießerei #münchen
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) July 22, 2016
Police are warning people to “avoid public places in Munich. The situation is still unclear”.
Meiden Sie öffentliche Plätze in #München. Die Lage ist noch unübersichtlich. #oez #Schießerei
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) July 22, 2016
This unverified footage from a Twitter user appears to show people running from a shopping centre in the German city of Munich on Friday evening after a gunman opened fire in the building. The building, located in the district of Moosach, was evacuated amid a major police operation:
The Merkur local newspaper reports that the alleged attacker may have opened fire in three places, possibly including Munich’s large Stachus square.
The Guardian has seen video footage believed to have been taken at the Munich shopping centre showing a gunman firing at people running.
Updated
Some more reliable information coming in from police now.
A spokeswoman has said that multiple people have been killed and wounded in the shooting, Reuters reported. “We believe we are dealing with a shooting rampage,” a police spokeswoman said, adding she believed more than one shooter was involved. Police were still evacuating the mall, she added.
Updated
Süddeutsche Zeitung is reporting that at least one person has been killed and 10 injured. Still no confirmation from police.
According to Germany’s DPA news agency, police “expect multiple dead”.
Staff in the shopping centre where shooting broke out are still hiding, an employee has told Reuters by telephone.
NTV television reported that German police special forces had arrived at the scene.
“Many shots were fired, I can’t say how many but it’s been a lot,” the employee, who declined to be identified, said from the mall in Munich.
“All the people from outside came streaming into the store and I only saw one person on the ground who was so severely injured that he definitely didn’t survive.
“We have no further information, we’re just staying in the back in the storage rooms. No police have approached us yet.”
As yet, police have only officially confirmed “several injuries”:
Lage am #OEZ mit #Schießerei ist aktuell noch unübersichtlich. Es gab mehrere Verletzte. Sobald wir mehr haben gibt es weitere Infos.
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) July 22, 2016
Updated
An emergency call was received at 6pm local time after a man opened fire in a drugstore in the Olympia shopping centre in the Moosach district of the southern German city.
A police spokeswoman told German media: “We believe this is a big incident.”
Police and ambulance crews were on site within minutes of the call.
Stehe vor dem #OEZ pic.twitter.com/qOkJO5YrYP
— Richard Gutjahr (@gutjahr) July 22, 2016
The man is believed to have fled the shopping centre and headed for a nearby underground station. There was no indication as to the motivation of the attack. But Germany is on high alert after a man wielding an axe and knife attacked train passengers near the southern city of Würzburg earlier this week.
The Olympia shopping centre is a two-tiered glass covered mall. It was built on the site of the 1972 Olympic Games. The Munich Olympics were overshadowed by a terrorist attack in which 11 Israeli sportsmen and a German policeman were killed after being taken hostage by Palestinian terrorists.
Updated
German police special forces have arrived on the scene, the local TV station NTV says.
Munich transport authorities say they have halted services on multiple train, tram and bus lines after the incident, Reuters reports.
Updated
“Many shots were fired,” an employee inside the Munich shopping centre has told the Reuters news agency.
Updated
Germany’s Muencher Abendzeitung is reporting that several people have been killed. Again, police have not officially confirmed any casualty figures.
Updated
The security consulting firm Kronos Advisory has the following:
#MUNICH News of events in Germany is beginning to spread on IS-linked Telegram channels pic.twitter.com/6ZfsSQmsiZ
— Michael S. Smith II (@MichaelSSmithII) July 22, 2016
There is, however, nothing at the moment that gives any indication of any possible motives for the shootings and it should be noted that talk on such channels does not in itself point directly to any involvement by Islamic State militants.
Suddeutsche Zeitung cites a police spokesperson as saying several people have been killed and more injured in the shootout at the Olympia shopping mall.
The paper said a large police operation was under way and that police were “assuming there was just a single perpetrator”.
An employee at the nearby DM drugstore told the paper by phone that she heard “shots and saw injured people ... We can not go outside.”
The Guardian has not independently confirmed these details.
Updated
Police are telling people to stay clear of the Olympia shopping centre in Munich.
Im Moment haben wir einen großen Polizeieinsatz am OEZ. Bitte meiden Sie den Bereich um das Einkaufszentrum.
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) July 22, 2016
Updated
Shots fired at a shopping centre in Munich
German police are evacuating a shopping centre in Munich after receiving reports that shots were fired, and a major police operation is under way in the city.
Munich’s security forces have been on alert after a teenager armed with an axe and a knife attacked passengers on a regional train in northern Bavaria on Monday, before being shot dead by police.
German officials were treating that as the first attack with a jihadi motive by an asylum seeker on German soil.
Updated
