Police had initially said that they were looking for up to three suspects in the attack.
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At 02:20 CEST, the Munich Police Department held a press conference.
The police chief said that the gunman was 18-year-old Iranian from Munich who had been living in Munich for longer than two years, CNN reported.
He has been identified as an 18-year old German National of Iranian decent.
This is the third attack against civilians in Western Europe in eight days. Previous attacks in France and Germany were claimed by the Islamic State militant group.
The State department says it does not appear that any Americans are among the victims. More than 80 people were killed. Munich’s main railway station was also evacuated.
Singapore condemns the shooting attack in Munich, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Saturday (July 23). A police official said, “We believe we are dealing with a shooting rampage”. Sixteen people were injured, including three serious and 13 not serious.
Vasiliki Spanouli, 30, who works as a cleaner, said at least one gunman began firing on people in the mall without warning.
Three gunmen were involved in the shooting, according to a police statement, citing witnesses.
“We believe there was more than one perpetrator”.
The shooting happened in a busy shopping Munich mall Olympia late afternoon Friday when families with children are mostly in malls for the weekend.
At the height of the incident, people in the Olympia shopping center either fled or sought to hide.
Hundreds of people have taken to Twitter using the hashtag #OffeneTur – or #OpenDoor – inviting people to stay if they are unable to get home.
The shopping center is near Munich’s Olympic Stadium, built for the 1972 Games.
Munich police are hunting for the shooter or shooters but no one is captured yet, Germany’s news agency dpa said. Currently, no suspect (s) are in custody and the U.S. Consulate is telling American expats in Munich to stay safe and avoid the traveling to the consulate.
In a gesture of solidarity, Munich residents invited anyone stuck in the city to find safety in their homes, in messages posted online.
Trams, trains and buses were stopped and highways were sealed off. Turn radio and TV on.
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A police spokesman in Germany had said yesterday that terrorism was suspected, without revealing any immediate indications of an Islamist link. “We can’t question the suspect so this is all a little more hard”, notes The Associated Press.
