Germany; gunman kills 9

A man shot dead nine people across two shisha bars in a German town before killing himself and his mother. Authorities in Germany say he had posted a manifesto online which including conspiracy theories and deeply racist views. The shootings took place late on Wednesday in Hanau, near Frankfurt.

The presumed attacker – a 43-year-old German man identified as Tobias R. – was found dead in his home.

The gunman attacked a shisha bar in downtown Hanau then drove to a second shisha bar in town and opened fire again, according to police and witnesses. The shisha bars are thought to be frequented by Kurdish residents.

Officers chased a car leaving the scene of the last shooting to another address, where they found the bodies of the suspect and his 72-year-old mother, both with gunshot wounds, police said.

Prosecutor General Peter Frank told reporters the nine people shot dead had immigrant backgrounds. His office later said they included German citizens and foreigners aged between 21 and 44. Six more people were injured in the attack, one seriously.

Thousands gathered for candlelight vigils in about 50 German cities on Thursday evening. In Hanau, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier told crowds that Germans and foreigners should unite to defeat racism.

The Confederation of the Communities of Kurdistan in Germany said several victims were Kurdish and accused Germany’s political leaders of “not resolutely opposing right-wing networks and right-wing terrorism”. Germany is home to three million people of Turkish origin including one million ethnic Kurds. Bulgarian public broadcaster BNT said a 32-year-old Bulgarian man was among the victims.

SOURCE (RETERS, AFP)