It’s almost midnight, but most of the windows in Groß Borstel and in Alsterdorf are brightly lit. The two districts are in the north of Hamburg, near the airport. Around 25,000 people live here. Many of them will have heard about the bloody deed that put the city under a state of emergency on Friday night from the shrill beep of their mobile phone.
At 7 p.m., the service is said to have started in the community rooms of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the so-called “Kingdom Hall”, like every week. The building is located on the border of Groß Borstel and Alsterdorf. Around 9:15 p.m., the first callers alerted the police: shots could be heard. A resident speaks to the dpa of four shooting periods. “Several shots were always fired during these periods, roughly 20 seconds to a minute apart.” A person ran frantically from the ground floor to the first floor.
Later, people were carried outside by the hands and feet of the police. “Experience has shown that the service here has always been very well attended,” says the 23-year-old student – families, older and younger people. The Hamburg police reported eight dead. The alleged perpetrator is said to be among them.
Again Mirror reported that the suspect is said to be a former member of the Jehovah’s Witness community. He is said to be between 30 and 40 years old. The murder weapon was reportedly a pistol.
Police classify the act as a killing spree
The police have cordoned off a large area, a helicopter is circling, heavily armed police officers line the street. Police spokesman Holger Vehren has positioned himself behind the tape and tells the waiting journalists what is known so far. The officials were on site quickly, the police headquarters is just over a kilometer away from the crime scene. At the time of the alarm, members of the special unit USE (support patrol for special operations) happened to be in the vicinity of the crime scene. They entered the building first.
Several fatally injured people were found on the ground floor, all of whom had gunshot wounds. Immediately after their arrival, the officers heard another shot and found a lifeless person on the upper floor who could have been the perpetrator, but this has not been confirmed either. However, the investigators, who classify the crime as a rampage according to information from security circles, currently assume that the person acted alone.
It had previously been said that the perpetrator might be on the run. In an official hazard announcement by the Department of the Interior, there was initially talk of an “extreme danger”. People were asked to go to safe spaces and not to overload the mobile network with unnecessary phone calls.
Eight dead and several injured – Interior Minister Faeser “shaken”
The police set up an information portal. On the website “Photos and videos of the crime or relevant events in this context could be uploaded,” said the Hamburg police on Twitter.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) was “shocked” by the crime. “In this difficult hour, my thoughts are with the victims and their relatives, with the community members and also with the emergency services,” said Faeser of the German Press Agency.
Hamburg’s Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) was dismayed by the shots. “The reports from Alsterdorf / Groß Borstel are shocking,” Tschentscher wrote on Twitter on Thursday evening. “My deepest sympathy goes to the relatives of the victims. The emergency services are working flat out to track down the perpetrators and clarify the background.”
Who are the Jehovah’s Witnesses?
The Jehovah’s Witnesses are a Christian community with their own interpretation of the Bible. The followers believe in Jehovah as “almighty God and Creator” and are said to submit to strict rules. They are convinced that a new world is at hand and that they will be saved as a chosen church.
The strictly organized group was founded in the USA towards the end of the 19th century by the businessman Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916) and is financed by voluntary donations. Under the Nazi regime, the religious community was banned and persecuted. Jehovah’s Witnesses have around eight million members worldwide. The “world headquarters” is in New York.
The German community, with fewer than 200,000 members, is one of the largest in Europe. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not have paid clergy. Her most important publications are The Watchtower and awake!. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are aloof from the state. They do not take part in elections for religious reasons. Excessive consumption of alcohol, tobacco and celebrating according to the Christian festival calendar are rejected, as are blood transfusions.
Police spokesman Holger Vehren does not want to comment on age, gender or even a possible motive for the crime, referring to a press conference in the near future. During the night, the community rooms are searched for possible explosive devices. 17 people who remained unharmed are receiving psychological care. Around 12:30 a.m. they say: “The situation has calmed down so far.”