Shooting at Jehovah's Witness Church in Germany kills 7, numerous others injured

Hamburg: A shooting occurred at a Jehovah's Witness centre on Thursday night in Hamburg, Germany resulting in the deaths of seven people and injuries to dozens more. The motive for the shooting remains unclear, and police have reported that the suspected gunman is believed to be dead. Initially, there were no reports of a perpetrator on the run.

However, later investigations led police to find a lifeless individual who they believe could be the attacker, but further investigations are ongoing.

The newspaper Bild reported that 25 people were injured, of which eight were seriously wounded, in addition to the seven reported deaths. The exact number of casualties, including the attacker, is not clear at this time, said the police.

Police have stated that several individuals sustained serious injuries, but have not confirmed the exact number of fatalities.

According to local media reports, a specialized armed unit of police was coincidentally present in the vicinity when the shooting occurred. The unit happened to be returning to their accommodation at their headquarters in Alsterdorf when they heard the sound of gunshots.

There are approximately 175,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in Germany, with 3,800 of them residing in Hamburg. This Christian denomination was established in the United States during the late 19th century and is renowned for its advocacy of non-violence and door-to-door evangelism.

In recent years, Germany has been shaken by multiple instances of mass shootings. One such incident occurred in February 2020, when a far-right extremist in the central German city of Hanau killed 10 people and injured five others. Another incident happened in 2019 on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, where a neo-Nazi's attempt to breach a synagogue in Halle led to the deaths of two individuals.