2024-09-22 02:28:23
German police are investigating a shooting at a watch shop in Cologne, possibly linked to a series of recent explosions in the city, a law enforcement spokesman said, quoted by DPA.
According to initial reports, shortly after 16:00 (14:00 GMT), an unidentified person fired more than 20 shots with an automatic weapon at the facade of the building in the Nile district and then fled.
Shell casings were found outside, the spokesman said, adding that no one was injured, BTA reported.
The facts and circumstances surrounding the case are yet to be clarified.
But prosecutors and police suspect he has links to organized crime, as well as two recent explosions in the city center that caused some property damage but no injuries.
On Thursday, the head of the Cologne police’s crime division, Michael Esser, said that the law enforcement authorities in Cologne “are facing major challenges in view of the unprecedented increase in violence and serious crimes”.
More than 60 investigators are working on the case. At the root of the crimes are probably disputes between rival criminal gangs. “Obviously there are serious scores to settle in these circles,” Esser said.
Ulrich Bremer, a high-ranking representative of the prosecution, for his part, stated that one of these accounts was the disappearance of 300 kilograms of cannabis. The group that was cheated out of the drug is now trying to either get it back or get revenge.