(CNN) A deadly shooting broke out at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Hamburg on Thursday night, leaving many dead, according to police.
CNN affiliate RTL/NTV reported that at least six people were killed and seven others were injured.
Hamburg police said in a statement that the incident in the northern German city took place at around 9 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) and there was “one or more unknown assailants.”
A police spokesman said authorities are investigating whether the shooter was among several people found dead in the building.
“We have no indications of an escapee,” the spokesperson said, adding that investigators instead have “indications that the perpetrator may have been in the building and may even have been among the dead.”
The spokesperson added that streets around the place of worship were cordoned off, and police warned of “extreme danger” in the area.
Neighboring residents have been urged to stay home.
Police officers in special equipment on duty in Hamburg.
“There is no confirmed information about the motive behind the crime,” police said on Twitter, urging people not to share any unconfirmed hypotheses.
The spokesman said that the police are treating the shooting as an isolated incident.
Hamburg Mayor Peter Schentscher expressed his “deep sympathies” to the relatives of the victims, calling the reports of the accident “shocking” on Twitter.
“My deepest sympathies go out to the relatives of the victims. The emergency services are working at full speed to track down the perpetrators,” he wrote.
Shootings in Germany are almost unheard of, though they are rare in the United States. At least in January 2022 One person was killed After a man opened fire on students in a lecture hall at the University of Heidelberg in southwestern Germany.
In 2020, a mass shooting at two hookah seats in Hanau left several people dead.
This is a developing story. More to track.
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