An anonymous tip-off had been sent to the weapons control authority in January this year, claiming that Philipp F. may have been suffering from an undiagnosed psychological illness and that he had a “particular anger against religious members or against the Jehovah’s Witnesses and his former employer”.NYSC Portal
Raids following the shooting on the gunman’s apartment uncovered 15 magazines loaded with 15 bullets each and four further packs of ammunition with about 200 rounds.
The gunman entered the Kingdom Hall building when around three dozen people were attending a service and another 25 people had joined on Livestream.
The first distress calls reached emergency services at 9:04 pm local time (2004 GMT) on Thursday, and police forced their way into the Jehovah’s Witness building minutes later.
The police action interrupted the shooting, prompting the attacker to flee to the first floor of the building where he killed himself, said Grote.
“We can assume that (the rapid police action) saved many lives,” he added.
Police had initially said the shooting left eight people dead, but that included the gunman and a seven-month-old foetus of killed in the attack. The woman pregnant with the baby has survived.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany association said it was “deeply saddened by the horrific attack on its members”.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the “brutal act of violence” and said his thoughts were with the victims and their loved ones.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said investigators were “working flat-out to determine the background” to the attack.
Neighbours recalled hearing multiple shots fired late Thursday.
“Our son filmed the whole thing, he could see quite well from the house,” Bernd Miebach, a 66-year-old business owner, told AFP.
“On the video, you can see that someone broke a window, you can hear shots fired and see that someone broke in.”
Police have asked witnesses to come forward and upload any pictures or videos they may have to a special website.JAMB Result
Another resident said police arrived on the scene within “four or five minutes”.
“We heard shots and we knew something big was happening,” said the woman, who gave only her first name Anetta.
She said she knew the building was used by members of the Jehovah’s Witness community, describing them as “very peaceful, quiet”.
The three-storey building was still cordoned off on Friday with several officers standing outside.
Hearses arrived at around midday, and at least four bodies were carried out from the building, an AFP reporter said.
Germany has about 175,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses, including 3,800 in Hamburg. The US Christian movement, set up in the late 19th century and which preaches non-violence, is known for door-to-door evangelism.
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