Gunmen opened fire near a shopping mall in Munich just before 6 p.m. Friday, killing six people and wounding many others in an assault that German police said they were treating as a suspected terrorist attack. Police are trying to verify whether one of these bodies could be one of the shooters, Munich police tweeted.
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The city of Munich sent a smartphone alert telling people to stay indoors and German rail company Deutsche Bahn stopped train traffic to Munich’s main station.
Police said that witnesses called to report three people with guns on a nearby street who later moved toward the mall.
The shooting occurred in the Olympia Einkaufszentrum in the northern part of the Bavarian city, Spiegel Online reports.
“Continue to shelter in place, contact your family members to let them know you are safe, and follow the instructions of police and emergency personnel”.
United Kingdom foreign ministry updates travel advice on Germany after attack in Munich shopping centre, urges Britons to avoid area and follow advice of local authorities.
The sprawling two-story Olympia Einkaufszentrum opened in 1972 during the Summer Olympics in Munich, according to the mall’s website.
Meanwhile, a manhunt is underway across the city. “Please be careful and avoid public areas”.
A British Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are urgently seeking further information following the ongoing incident in Munich”.
“We are telling the people of Munich there are shooters on the run who are risky”, he said.
More than one gunman was believed to be involved, the police spokeswoman said. All public transit has been shut down.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the video shows the shooting that occurred outside Munich Olympia Shopping Centre in the district of Moosach today.
Germany’s dpa news agency reports that police in Munich are saying “we expect multiple dead” in a shooting at a mall and police are hunting for the shooter or shooters. Citing Germany’s public broadcaster, the Associated Press reported at least six people have been killed. The police described the situation as “unclear”. German media say multiple people are injured. Five guerrillas and a police officer were also killed.
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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There was no immediate claim of responsibility but supporters of Islamic State celebrated the rampage on social media.
