At least 8 killed in shootings in German bars
20 February, 2020
An enormous manhunt was under way Thursday after at least eight people were killed and many injured in two shootings at shisha bars in Germany.
The attacks targeted bars in Hanau, about 20 kilometers from Frankfurt, where armed police quickly fanned out and police helicopters roamed the sky looking for those in charge of the bloodshed.
The first attack occurred at the "Midnight" bar in the heart of metropolis around 10 p.m., police and reports said. Three persons were killed before the building, local media said, with witnesses reporting hearing a dozen shots.
The attacker, or attackers, fled the scene by car, according to police. There is then a second shooting at Arena Bar.
A gunman reportedly rang the doorbell and shot persons in the smoking area, killing five people including a female, according to mass-circulation Bild, adding that the victims were of Kurdish origin.
"The victims are persons we have known for a long time," said the bar manager's son, quoted by DPA news agency. Two employees were among the victims, in line with the man, who was simply not at the bar during the shooting. "It is a shock for everybody".
At least five persons were also seriously wounded in the attacks, reports said.
An AFP journalist at the scene saw around thirty police cars leaving Hanau police station. Witnesses said cops with machine guns were deployed in the town.
A silver Mercedes included in what appeared as if a survival blanket could possibly be seen behind a police cordon and surrounded by officers before "Arena Bar", with shattered glass on to the floor.
"The police can now confirm that eight people were fatally wounded. The search for suspects is certainly going at top speed. There is no clear information yet concerning a motive," authorities said, adding that several have been injured.
The mayor of Hanau, Claus Kaminsky, told mass circulation Bild that it turned out "an awful night".
"You cannot imagine a worse night. It'll of course keep us busy for an extended, long time and remain a sad memory."
"I am deeply moved. Just the actual fact that eight people have lost their lives has shaken me up. But I ask all citizens not to speculate. The police will need to have the chance to get rid of the problem and investigate -- until then, we should wait with prudence, no matter how hard this may be."
MP for the region, Katja Leikert said it had been "a real horror scenario".
"On this dreadful night for Hanau, I would like expressing my deepest condolences to the relatives of those killed. I am hoping the injured will recover quickly," she said.
Germany has been targeted recently by several extremist attacks, among which killed 12 persons in the heart of Berlin in December 2016.
Far-right attacks have grown to be a specific concern for German authorities.
In October, a deadly anti-Semitic gun attack in the eastern city of Halle on the holy day of Yom Kippur underscored the rising risk of neo-Nazi violence. The rampage, where two people were shot dead, was streamed live.
Last June conservative politician Walter Luebcke, an advocate of a liberal refugee policy, was shot at his home.
On Friday police arrested 12 members of a German extreme right group thought to have been plotting "shocking" large-scale attacks on mosques like the ones completed in New Zealand this past year.
German-Turkish Islamic organization Ditib, which funds around 900 mosques in Germany, needed greater protections for Muslims in the united states, saying they "no longer feel safe" in Germany.
Source: japantoday.com
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