German police hunting shooters after mall attack

UPDATE (7/23, 8:45 a.m.): Munich police say the 18-year-old German-Iranian man who shot and killed nine people and wounded 16 others at a shopping mall last night had no evidence of links to Islamic State in his home.

But the gunman, who still has not been named, had been treated for depression and had a book about mass shootings in his room.

“The perpetrator was obviously obsessed with the issue,” Munich Police Chief Hubertus Andrae told reporters.

The attacker specifically targeted young people and hacked into a woman’s Facebook account to post a message about a fake give-away at the mall. The message urged people to come if they wanted to get a free prize. Police say the gunman came to the mall with a 9mm Glock handgun and 300 rounds of ammunition.

Although police do not yet know what prompted the teen to attack, they do not believe it had anything to do with the issue of immigration. Instead, they are calling it a “classic mass shooting.” The shooter was born and raised in Munich.

UPDATE (7/22, 10 p.m.): German police describe the man who shot and killed nine people at a Munich shopping mall as an 18-year-old German-Iranian. They stressed the motive for the attack remains “fully unclear.”

Security officials did not have the teen on any watch lists and say he had no known ties to terror groups.

“The question of terrorism or a rampage is tied to motive, and we don’t know the motive,” Munich police chief Hubertus Andrae said. “We can’t question the suspect so this is all a little more difficult.”

After initially asking people to stay indoors, police issued the all-clear early Saturday morning local time. They now believe the gunman acted alone and killed himself as police closed in on the scene of the attack.

Responding officers did not find the shooter’s body until about 2 1/2 hours after the attack and weren’t sure at first whether he was a victim or a suspect. The nine people killed include young people, and children are among the 16 people wounded in the rampage. Three are in critical condition.

UPDATE (7/22, 8 p.m.): German police now say they think only one shooter attacked shoppers at a mall in Munich, later killing himself. The death toll stands at 10, including the attacker.

Officials initially said they were looking for three suspects, based on witness accounts. But now investigators believe the gunman acted alone.

One witness told a local television station he heard the attacker, who wore jack boots and a backpack, yell an “anti-foreigner” insult before he started shooting. Although speculation immediately turned to Islamic State, which has organized or inspired several major terror attacks in Europe in the last nine months, analysts say this attack may be the work of someone angry over Germany’s openness to Middle Eastern refugees.

UPDATE (7/22, 4:15 p.m.): Munich police are searching for three gunman armed with rifles after an attack on the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall. Officials now say eight people died in the attack and several others are wounded.

“At the moment no culprit has been arrested,” police in the Bavarian capital said on social media. “The search is taking place at high speed.”

Officials continue to urge people to stay indoors while the manhunt continues. Police have described the attack as “suspected terrorism.”

OUR EARLIER REPORT: German police are searching for one or more shooters who opened fire in a Munich shopping mall. At least six people are reported dead.

Officials are urging people to avoid public places.

“The situation is still unclear,” Munich police posted on their official Twitter feed.

Police have released few details about the attack or the victims, except to say, “we expect multiple dead.” It’s not yet clear how many more people may be injured.

The shooting reportedly began at about 6 p.m. in a McDonald’s restaurant in the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall, not far from the city’s Olympic Stadium.

Earlier this week, a 17-year-old refugee from Afghanistan boarded a train and attacked five people with an ax and a knife. None of the victims died, but several had life-threatening injuries.