Munich police spokeswoman Claudia Kuenzel told The Associated Press there had been “several dead and wounded” in the mall shooting.
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Munich police are hunting the suspects but no one is in custody yet.
President Barack Obama is pledging to provide Germany with whatever help it may need to investigate a deadly shooting incident.
Another shooting reportedly occurred at Isartor square, close to the city center, according to some Twitter posts.
“There is a major police operation under way in the shopping center”, said Munich police in a statement.
The New York Police Department’s counterterrorism unit tweeted that it was “monitoring events unfolding in Munich”.
How many people are dead? Previous attacks in France and Germany were claimed by the Islamic State militant group. Police shot and killed him in a confrontation.
“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 response, hundreds of people have taken to Twitter using the hashtag #OffeneTur – or #OpenDoor – inviting people to stay if they are unable to get home.
A police spokesperson tells CNN there is an ongoing “shooting spree” at Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall.
People were seen fleeing from the building in another video posted on social media. The shooting at the McDonald’s happened around 5:50 p.m. (11:50 a.m. ET), she said.
Update 3:31 pm EST: Photos taken in Stachus show a heavy police presence outside of the Stachus hotel as increased reports indicate that an active shooter was in the area.
Reuters news agency, citing Germany’s Muencher Abendzeitung, is reporting up 15 people have been killed in the shooting at the mall, which is located next to the Munich Olympic stadium.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the mall shooting was tied to terrorism, but it put other cities on alert.
According to intitial reports, the UAE Consulate in Munich has confirmed to Arabic daily Emarat Al Youm that there has been no deaths or injuries of any UAE citizens in the shopping center shooting.
Munich police spokeswoman said six people were killed and an undetermined number wounded. Major roads were largely empty as special police teams swarmed the area. The city transit system shut down and police asked people to stay inside their homes and otherwise avoid public places.
In May, a man with a knife killed one person and wounded at least three others at a train station in Mainz, near Munich.
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Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the teenager was believed to be a “lone wolf” attacker who appeared to have been “inspired” by the Islamic State group but was not a member of the jihadist network.
