Ten dead after Munich shooting spree, motive unclear

German-Iranian gunman kills nine people before turning the gun on himself.

2 min read

23 July, 2016

Police secure the shooting scene outside the OEZ shopping centre in Munich [Getty]

An 18-year-old German-Iranian gunman opened fire near a busy Munich shopping mall on Friday evening, killing at least ten people, including himself.

Police are currently investigating for a possible motive behind the attack, however have said that there is no evidence yet of links to Islamist extremism.

Authorities are also trying to ascertain how the gunman got hold of a firearm in a country with gun laws described by the US Congress library as "among the most stringent in Europe".

The shooting spree began before 1600 GMT at a McDonald's restaurant and continued on a nearby street before the gunman moved into the OEZ mall near the Olympic stadium in the southern German city, a police spokeswoman said.

The attacker, who was identified by Munich police chief Hubertus Andrae as a dual national, was discovered dead in a side street. He appeared to have a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

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An apartment in Munich's Maxvorstadt neighbourhood, where the attacker was thought to have lived with his parents, was raided by police commandos on Saturday morning.

"I am shocked, what happened to the boy? Only God knows what happened," Telfije Dalpi, a neighbour of the attacker's family told Reuters. "I have no idea what happened - but he was a good human being. I have no idea if he did anything bad elsewhere."

German police said that it was too early to label Friday's attacks as an act of terror, and have appealed to the public to send mobile phone footage that may have been taken at the time.

In one video currently being analysed by security services, the gunman is heard shouting "I am German" during a heated exchange of insults and racial slurs with a passer-by.

"We are trying to determine who said what," said a police spokesman.

Friday's incident was the third of its kind seen in Western Europe in just eight days, following on from attacks on civilians in Nice and in Southern Germany, where an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group wounded several train passengers with an axe.