Prime News Ghana

Nine dead in Germany in shopping mall attack

By primenewsghana.com
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At least nine people have died after persons carrying guns attacked at Olympia mall,  a shopping centre in the German city of Munich.

According to the BBC, German police are engaged in a huge anti-terror manhunt in the city and currently are investigating whether one of the bodies is that of a perpetrator.

Local media reports indicate that the body of the suspected attacker was found about 1km (0.6 miles) from the shopping centre.

The police have warned people to avoid public places after three attackers carrying guns were earlier reported to be on the run.

Police, who describe the operation as "an acute terror situation", say the first reports of a shooting in Hanauer Street came in just before 18:00 (16:00 GMT).

Chancellor Angela Merkel's Chief of Saff, Peter Altmaier, told national TV the motive for the attack was still unclear.

"We cannot rule out that it is linked to terrorism but we can't confirm it either, but we are also investigating in this direction," he said.

A meeting of the government's security cabinet will be held on Saturday.

The Bavarian capital's central railway station has been evacuated.

People stranded by the emergency and unable to get home are being offered shelter by locals. The initiative was launched with the Twitter hashtag #Offenetür(open door).