In the shooting in a building of Jehovah's Witnesses in Hamburg, eight people have been fatally injured. Among the dead was "apparently also the alleged perpetrator," as the Hamburg police announced on Friday morning on their website.

The police had not previously provided any further information. "At the moment, the handovers are underway here. This is all in flux," said a police spokesman on Friday morning in Hamburg. Details about the dead and injured and the course of events, he could not initially call. There is no further information on this yet. Interior Senator Andy Grote (SPD) announced a press conference for noon, at which details of the crime and the status of the investigation are to be announced.

During the event in the building of Jehovah's Witnesses on Thursday evening, several people were killed or injured by gunfire. According to media reports, six or seven people died and at least eight others were injured. The perpetrator may be dead, his act classifies the police according to information from security circles as a rampage.

As the "mirror" reported, the perpetrator is said to be a former member of the community of Jehovah's Witnesses. The murder weapon should therefore have been a pistol. However, it is still unclear whether the alleged perpetrator would have legally owned the weapon.

In the early morning, the police secured in front, behind and in the three-storey building further tracks. In the building, the investigators measured the crime scene with a 3D scanner. The entrance was covered with a privacy screen. The extensive barriers had been dismantled in the morning and the road was reopened.

Danger warning lifted

The police did not initially comment on the exact number of deaths. "According to initial findings, several deaths are among the victims," said a police spokesman. Among the dead may also be the perpetrator: "There are indications that it could be the perpetrator. But whether it was really the perpetrator is still unclear." There is no indication of another or a fleeting perpetrator.

The danger warning around the church of Jehovah's Witnesses has been lifted. This was announced by the Federal Office for Civil Protection on Friday shortly after 3 o'clock in the morning on its website. A police spokesman had already told the broadcaster ntv on Thursday evening that he expected the warning to expire soon. According to the current state of affairs, it is not to be expected that a perpetrator will be fleeting. Therefore, there is probably no longer any danger in the environment.

According to a police spokesman, around 21 p.m. more emergency calls were received by the police and fire department. Emergency services were on site in the evening with a large contingent. The act occurred, according to police, in a center of Jehovah's Witnesses. Four hours after the fatal shots, the forensic team finally entered the scene of the crime at night. Even at 4.15 a.m. on Friday, they were still in the three-storey commercial building. Patrol cars had previously cordoned off the crime scene widely. Officers with submachine guns additionally secured the area.

A neighbor reported several shots fired at the Jehovah's Witnesses event. "There were about four shooting periods. During these periods, several shots were fired, about 20 seconds to one minute apart," reported student Lara Bauch. Later, people were carried by police on their hands and feet into the street.

The police set up an information portal. On this website, "photos and videos of the act or relevant events in this context could be uploaded," said the Hamburg police on Twitter.

Scholz and Faeser express sympathy

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) expressed his sympathy to the relatives on Friday morning. "Bad news from #Hamburg. Several members of a Jehovah congregation fell victim to a brutal act of violence last night," he posted on Twitter on Friday morning via the government account. "My thoughts are with them and their loved ones. And with the security forces, who have a heavy mission behind them." Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) was also "shocked" by the crime in Hamburg's Alsterdorf district. Hamburg's mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) wrote on Twitter: "My deepest sympathy goes to the relatives of the victims."

Jehovah's Witnesses have also expressed their "deep sorrow by the terrible rampage" of their house of worship in Hamburg. "Our deepest sympathy goes to the families of the victims as well as the traumatized eyewitnesses," said the religious community on Friday night. "The pastors of the local community are doing their best to assist them in this difficult hour." The community stated that the bloody deed had occurred "after a church service".

Jehovah's Witnesses are a Christian community with its own interpretation of the Bible. The followers believe in Jehovah as "Almighty God and Creator" and should submit to strict regulations. They are convinced that a new world is imminent and that they will be saved as a chosen church. Jehovah's Witnesses have about eight million members worldwide. The "world headquarters" is in New York. The German community with less than 200,000 members is one of the largest in Europe.