German Prosecutors Treating Deadly Shootings in Hanau Shisha Bars as Terror Attacks

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th February, 2020) The German prosecutor's office has taken over the investigation into a string of deadly shootings in the central city of Hanau on suspicion of them being terrorist-related.

Nine people died overnight when a gunman opened fire on two shisha bars in the city center and western district of Kesselstadt. The bodies of the shooter and his mother were found in their home.

The interior minister in the state of Hesse, Peter Beuth, told the regional parliament on Thursday that Federal prosecutors suspected a xenophobic motive behind the attack. German media said that the bars, where people smoke flavored tobacco, were popular with Kurdish customers.

The attack shocked the nation. It comes almost five months after another suspected far-right extremist shot two people near a synagogue in the eastern city of Halle.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was due to travel to Halle on Thursday to appear at the Leopoldina academy of Sciences, but she postponed her trip.

The shooter was a 43-year-old German national who lived in Hanau. He was a professional shooter and legally owned weapons. The Bild tabloid reported that guns and ammunition were found in the car that he used to drive to the bars.

A 24-page confession letter and a video were reportedly discovered at his home. He wrote that certain minorities living in Germany needed to be killed because they could be no longer deported.

He also delved into "confusing" conspiracy theories, according to Bild.

The Turkish government's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said on Twitter that Turkish citizens were among those killed in the bars. He demanded that Germany do everything to shed light on the case.

The shooting spree began at about 10 p.m. (21:00 GMT) on Wednesday. The gunman pulled up outside the Midnight shisha bar on Heumarkt in the city center and fired around nine shots inside and near the bar.

A dark car was seen leaving the scene of the shooting. Police were soon alerted to a second shooting in progress at Arena Bar & Cafe in Kurt-Schumacher-Platz where more people were shot at.

Nine people died in the two attacks, including one who succumbed to their injuries at a hospital. At least four others were injured.

Police immediately launched a manhunt to find the gunman, which involved special police forces and a helicopter. They cordoned off the house where the suspect lived and stormed his apartment early on Wednesday using explosives.

Two bodies were found inside the home. The shooter is believed to have fatally shot his 72-year-old mother before killing himself. There is no indication that more people were involved in the crime.