Ex-Jehovah's Witness member shoots dead six worshippers in Germany

Hamburg - A disgruntled former Jehovah's Witness member shot dead six members of the group's congregation in the German city of Hamburg, before turning the gun on himself, authorities said on Friday.

Eight other people were wounded, including four seriously, in Thursday evening's attack, said Hamburg interior minister Andy Grote, calling it "the worst crime in our city's recent history".

Police identified the gunman as Philipp F, 35, a former member of the Christian group who left the community about 18 months ago "but apparently not on good terms".

Investigators were still seeking a motive for the killings, but there was no indication of a terrorist motive in the attack, said a senior prosecutor.

An anonymous tip-off had been sent to the weapons control authority in January this year, claiming that Philipp F may have been suffering from an undiagnosed psychological illness and that he had a "particular anger against religious members or against the Jehovah's Witnesses and his former employer".

Following the shooting, police raided the gunman's apartment and found 15 magazines loaded with 15 bullets each and four further packs of ammunition with about 200 rounds.

Police said the gunman had fired several shots at a car after noticing the driver manoeuvring the vehicle as he was headed for the Kingdom Hall building. The woman escaped with light injuries and contacted police.

The assailant shot at a window through which he entered the building and began firing on the congregation of about three dozen people present at the service with another 25 people participating on live stream.

The first distress calls reached emergency services at 9.04pm local time on Thursday, and police forced their way into the Jehovah's Witnesses building minutes later.

The police action interrupted the shooting, prompting the attacker to flee to the first floor of the building where he killed himself, said Grote.

"We can assume that (the rapid police action) saved many lives," he added.

Police had initially said the shooting left eight people dead, but that included the gunman and a seven-month-old foetus killed in the attack. The womanwho was pregnant with the baby has survived and was counted among the wounded.

'Filmed the whole thing'

The Jehovah's Witnesses in Germany association said it was "deeply saddened by the horrific attack on its members".

Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the "brutal act of violence" and said his thoughts were with the victims and their loved ones.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said investigators were "working flat-out to determine the background" to the attack.

Neighbours recalled hearing multiple shots fired late on Thursday.

"Our son filmed the whole thing, he could see quite well from the house," Bernd Miebach, a 66-year-old business owner, said.

"On the video you can see that someone broke a window, you can hear shots fired and see that someone broke in."

Police have asked witnesses to come forward and upload any pictures or videos they may have to a special website.

Another resident said police arrived on the scene within "four or five minutes".

"We heard shots and we knew something big was happening," said the woman, who gave only her first name Anetta.

She said she knew the building was used by members of the Jehovah's Witness community, describing them as "very peaceful, quiet".

The three-storey building was still cordoned off on Friday with several officers standing outside.

Hearses arrived at around midday, and at least four bodies were carried out from the building, an AFP reporter said.

Germany has about 175,000 Jehovah's Witnesses, including 3,800 in Hamburg. The US Christian movement, set up in the late 19th century and which preaches non-violence, is known for door-to-door evangelism.

Hit by attacks

Germany has been rocked by several attacks in recent years, both by jihadists and far-right extremists.

Among the deadliest committed by Islamist extremists was a truck rampage at a Berlin Christmas market in December 2016 that killed 12 people.

Germany has also been hit by a string of far-right assaults, sparking accusations that the government was not doing enough to stamp out neo-Nazi violence.

In February 2020, a far-right extremist shot dead 10 people and wounded five others in the central German city of Hanau.

In 2019, two people were killed after a neo-Nazi tried to storm a synagogue in Halle on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.

AFP