The authorities rule out the terrorist hypothesis in this attack
MADRID, 10 (EUROPA PRESS)
The main suspect in the shooting on Thursday night at a Jehovah’s Witness church in Hamburg has been identified as a former member of this religious group and they have ruled out that his attack, which has left seven fatalities –among which the Police count a seven-month-old fetus–, had no terrorist motives.
The suspect, who has also been found dead, would be Philipp F., 25, who has lived in Hamburg since 2015. Since December, he had a weapons license as a sports shooter and fired dozens of times with a semi-automatic pistol in inside the center, where there were about 50 people, according to NTV.
The authorities are not aware of any type of suspicion against him for possible extremism, nor is there any criminal record in fact, the police commanders have explained at a press conference in which they have tried to shed a little more light on the case.
They have confirmed that the Police received an anonymous complaint in which the sender –not yet identified– warned that the suspect could have mental problems and pose a threat, even requesting that the weapons permit be reviewed. This ad also alludes to possible anger against Jehovah’s Witnesses and their former boss.
POLICE RESPONSE
The person in charge of Interior in Hamburg, Andy Grote, has confirmed that the event resulted in a total of eight deaths between the ages of 33 and 60 – including the alleged shooter and the fetus – and as many injured. Grote has warned that he had never before seen an attack of this magnitude in the German city, where part of the security deployment around the scene is still maintained.
He also wanted to take the opportunity to applaud the work of the security forces, since with their “quick and determined” action they “most likely” managed to save lives, reports the DPA agency. The first alert calls were received at 9:04 p.m. on Thursday and the first agents arrived four minutes later.
The intervention began almost immediately and the police officers came to confront the shooter for a brief time, before he went up to the first floor and allegedly took his own life.