Multiple people are injured as gunman opens fire in German lecture hall: Attacker dead as cops swarm university
- A man, armed with a long-barrelled gun, shot multiple people at lecture hall in Heidelberg, southwestern Germany
- Police officers swarmed Neuenheimer Feld, an area of town which consists mainly of buildings associated with the University of Heidelberg
- Police did not specify how many people were wounded, or how seriously
A lone gunman today opened fire in a German lecture hall, injuring several people.
A man, armed with a long-barrelled gun, shot multiple people at the university in the town of Heidelberg, southwestern Germany, police said.
The attacker himself is dead, officials said, as specialist SEK commando units and police officers swarmed Neuenheimer Feld, an area of the town which consists mostly of buildings associated with the University of Heidelberg.
The shooter opened fire in the lecture hall and injured several people before turning the weapon on himself, Bild newspaper and news agency DPA reported, citing police sources.
Police vehicles are parked on the grounds of Heidelberg University in Heidelberg, Germany, on Monday following the shooting
Members of the SEK stand by a vehicle on the campus of Heidelberg University in Heidelberg on Monday
Police did not specify how many people were wounded, or how seriously, and did not give details of how the gunman died.
The university’s natural science facilities and parts of the university hospital are mainly located at Neuenheimer Feld.
Mannheim Police Department said in a statement: ‘Large-scale operation in Neuenheimer Feld. This is known so far: A single perpetrator injured several people in a lecture hall with a long gun.
‘The perpetrator himself is dead. Colleagues are still on site with strong forces – we will provide further information here!’
The police had earlier urged drivers to bypass Neuenheimer Feld so that rescue workers and emergency services could travel freely and respond to the shooting.
A man, armed with a long-barrelled gun, shot multiple people at the university in the town of Heidelberg, southwestern Germany , police said
A member of the SEK stands by a vehicle on the campus of Heidelberg University in Heidelberg on Monday
The University of Heidelberg’s press office declined to give any details on the incident and referred all queries to police.
Heidelberg is located south of Frankfurt and has about 160,000 inhabitants. Its university is one of Germany’s best-known.
Germany has been hit in recent years by a spate of attacks, mostly perpetrated by jihadists or far-right militants.
School shootings however are relatively rare in Germany, a country with some of the strictest gun laws in Europe.
In 2009, a former pupil killed nine students, three teachers and three passers-by in a school shooting at Winnenden, also in Baden-Wuerttemberg. The gunman then killed himself.
In 2002, a 19-year-old former student, apparently in revenge for having been expelled, gunned down 16 people including 12 teachers and two students at a school in the central German city of Erfurt. He too then killed himself.
This is a breaking news story, more to follow…
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