A witness speaking to rolling news channel NTV said he saw one gunman “dressed as Father Christmas and wearing sunglasses” but the account could not be immediately verified by police.
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A Munich police spokeswoman said multiple people were killed or wounded.
The police chief says the shooter was not previously known to police and there was no evidence of any links to terrorist organizations. It’s unclear whether shootings have occurred at other locations, and whether the gunfire has stopped.
The shooter, who was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, was identified by German police as an 18-year-old with dual German and Iranian nationality. he had no criminal record.
Austria said it had “significantly” tightened security measures in states sharing a border with Germany and put its elite Cobra police force on high alert.
The Munich gunman used a 9-mm Glock 17 pistol that was likely obtained illegally, because the serial number had been scratched off, police told journalists in Munich on Saturday.
His body was found about 2 1/2 hours after the attack.
After killing nine and wounding at least 16 more, the killer turned the gun on himself.
They also urged that pictures of the victims were not shared on social media or reproduced. Five guerrillas and a police officer were also killed.
Police said two other people who had been thought to be linked had “absolutely nothing to do” with the attack – and that they were simply fleeing the scene.
He told the BBC: “Suddenly we just became aware of an absolute pandemonium on the main station concourse – people just running absolutely everywhere”. Police say they do not yet know his motive.
The actions of the 18-year old German-Iranian man, who opened fire near Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall in Munich on Friday, have been regarded as those of a deranged person. Investigators said there were indications the perpetrator suffered from depression.
At least 16 people, including several children, were in hospital and three were in critical condition, Andrae said.
Ten people, including the alleged shooter, were killed in the attack.
Munich police urged people to avoid public places.
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As police hunt those responsible for a deadly shooting rampage at a shopping mall in Munich, they are already calling it a terror attack.
Police secures the area of a subway station Karlsplatz (Stachus) near a shopping mall following a shooting on July 22, 2016 in Munich.
It added: “The resolve of Germany, the United States, and the broader worldwide community will remain unshaken in the face of acts of despicable violence such as this”.
The shooter may have hacked a Facebook page to lure victims to the McDonald’s where the shooting started, Heimberger said. The children were sitting to eat.
“I know this because I’m Muslim”.
Witness Luan Zequiri told local broadcaster n-tv that he heard the attacker yell an anti-foreigner slur, followed by “a really loud scream”. “I am German. You will get it, ‘” Bayri said. “I tried to make sure that he looked at me, that his eyes are open”.
The shooting moved from that street to the shopping centre.
Local residents described the scene as the shooting unfolded. She said she saw someone lying on the floor of a store who appeared to be either dead or injured. “There’s a woman over them, crying”.
Officials said it appeared the gunman, who was a student, killed himself and said he did not have a firearms licence. She adds that it’s not clear what motivated the attack. No group has claimed responsibility. “We can’t question the suspect so this is all a little more hard”.
Chancellor Angela Merkel was meeting with her top security advisors to review Friday’s attack and would issue a statement at 1230 GMT, her office said.
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The assailant had arrived as an unaccompanied minor in Germany in June 2015 and had been staying with a foster family in the region of the attack for the last two weeks.
