Police in Hamburg, Germany, reported a shooting at a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall on Deelböge Street on March 9, 2023, at around 9:00 p.m. local time, which resulted in the deaths of seven people and the suspected gunman.
Several others were injured, some seriously. The police have not yet disclosed the possible motive behind the attack, which occurred in the Gross Borstel district of the city.
The authorities have appealed to the public for any information or images of the incident or the perpetrator.
The warning that covered the area has been lifted. Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his condolences and support for the victims and their families, as well as the security forces involved in responding to the incident.
Early on Friday, Hamburg police tweeted that they had discovered a lifeless person in a community center in #GroßBorstel, whom they believe may be the perpetrator.
Earlier, police spokesperson Holger Vehren had confirmed that several people had died and several others had been injured and taken to hospitals. Vehren added that the police arrived at the scene shortly after being informed of the shooting at around 9:15 p.m. and heard a gunshot from the upper floor of the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Kingdom Hall.
The police have not yet ascertained a reliable motive for the crime and urged the public not to spread rumors. Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher expressed his shock and offered his deepest condolences to the victims’ families.
Hamburg is Germany’s second-largest city, and its greater metropolitan area is home to over five million people, according to the Council of Europe. Jehovah’s Witnesses, a Christian denomination founded in the United States in 1872, claim to have over eight million followers worldwide.
