CNN
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A deadly shooting erupted at a Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall in in Hamburg on Thursday evening, leaving several dead, according to police.
At least six people are dead and seven people injured, CNN affiliate RTL/NTV reported.
The incident in the northern German city occurred around 9 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) and there are “one or more unknown” assailants, Hamburg police said in a statement.
A police spokesperson said that authorities are investigating whether the shooter is among the several people found dead in the building.
“We have no indications of a perpetrator on the run,” the spokesperson said, adding that investigators instead have “indications that a perpetrator may have been in the building and may be even among the dead.”
The streets around the place of worship have been cordoned off, and police have warned of “extreme danger” in the area, the spokesperson added.
Nearby residents have been urged to stay indoors.
There is “no confirmed information on the motive for the crime,” police said on Twitter as they urged people not to share any unconfirmed assumptions.
The spokesperson said police are treating the shooting as an isolated incident.
Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher expressed his “deepest sympathy” for the relatives of the victims, calling the reports of the incident “shocking” on Twitter.
“My deepest sympathy goes to the relatives of the victims. Emergency services are working at full speed to pursue the perpetrator(s),” he wrote.
Shootings in Germany are not unheard of, though rarer than in the United States. In January 2022, at least one person was killed after man opened fire on students in a lecture hall at Heidelberg University in southwestern Germany.
In 2020, a mass shooting at two shisha bars in Hanau killed several people.
This is a developing story. More to follow.