German radio station Bayerischer Rundfunk said the man had a red backpack similar to one used by a gunman seen at a McDonald’s restaurant where the attack reportedly began. No suspects have been apprehended yet. They urge people not to post tweets or post photos of police operations in the city.
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“Our travel advice to United Kingdom nationals in the area tonight is to stay indoors and follow the advice of the local authorities”. Facebook has created a safety check for Munich shooting. Munich police said they are still searching for a shooter or shooters on the department’s Twitter account.
A police spokesman initially said up to three gunmen were on the run after the shooting.
Also on Twitter, police asked people to refrain from speculating about the attack. President Obama and the White House are aware of the situation and pledged to Germany “all the support that they may need” in the investigation. While attacks like this do scream terrorist (ISIS) attack, it’s important to note that five years ago today, Anders Behring Breivik launched his attacks against the government and the civilian population killing 77 people most of which were children. Though the motive behind the attack is unclear, terrorism is suspected.
Witnesses had seen shooting both inside the mall and on nearby streets, police said.
No one is in custody yet. Previous attacks in France and Germany were claimed by the Islamic State militant group.
“We believe we are dealing with a shooting rampage”, the spokeswoman said.
German Justice Minister Heiko Maas told Bild newspaper’s Friday edition before the mall attack that there was “no reason to panic but it’s clear that Germany remains a possible target”. The first reports came at 6 pm, the shooting apparently began at a McDonald’s in the shopping centre.
Munich police are hunting the suspects but no one is in custody yet.
Hospitals in Munich, a city of 1.4 million people, have called in extra staff to prepare for the possibility of large numbers of wounded.
AP is reporting that one person is dead and ten others were injured in the shooting at the shopping center in Munich. The manhunt shut down traffic and public transportation across Munich, Germany’s third-most-populous city and the capital of the state of Bavaria, plunging much of the normally bustling metropolis into a desolate and fearful state of lockdown.
Munich’s main train station was evacuated and metro and bus transport in the city suspended while residents were ordered to stay in their homes, leaving the streets largely deserted. “We can’t confirm them, but we are investigating along those lines too”. “Please be careful and avoid public areas”.
Claudia Kuenzel tells The Associated Press that “the shooter or shooters are still on the run” – either in the mall or around the mall.
Public broadcaster Bayrischer Rundfunk reports that the late afternoon attack happened at a McDonald’s restaurant at the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall in the northern part of Munich.
Police special forces had arrived at the scene, NTV said. Shots have been fired at a shopping center in Munich, Germany, according to police, APA reports quoting NBC news. BR television said police had sealed off many highways north of Munich and people were told to leave them.
Germany’s dpa news agency reports that police in Munich are saying “we expect multiple dead” in a shooting at a mall.
Police are responding to the reported attack Friday in large numbers.
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Munich police are urging people to avoid public places.
