Large-scale police operation at the University of Heidelberg: According to the emergency services, one person attacked and injured several people in a lecture hall. The attacker is now dead – one victim is said to have succumbed to the injuries.
Bloody attack on the premises of Heidelberg University in the Neuenheimer Feld area: a lone perpetrator injured several people in a lecture hall with a long gun on Monday afternoon during a lecture, the Mannheim police said. Then he is according to the police information escaped to the outside. The perpetrator is now dead. There is no longer any danger. The German Press Agency (DPA) called the attack a killing spree. The police announced on Twitter that four people were injured, some seriously. According to information from the DPA and the AFP news agency, a young woman had succumbed to her serious injuries. The perpetrator shot her in the head, according to the DPA from security circles. So far there has been no official confirmation on this.
A citizen hotline for relatives was set up: 0621/174-5055.
“According to the investigation, the perpetrator came into the lecture hall shortly before half past twelve and shot around,” says a police spokesman. According to the DPA, security circles said the man had killed himself. However, this information has not yet been officially confirmed. The police said: “We assume a single perpetrator.” To be on the safe side, the area will continue to be searched. A press conference is planned for early Monday evening. The public prosecutor’s office took the lead in the investigation. The investigators are now checking “all the turning points” – in other words: his apartment. What motives the perpetrator had, whether he legally owned weapons – the police cannot answer all of this at first.
Attacker at Heidelberg University is said to have been a student
The campus in the Neuenheim district on the northern bank of the Neckar is primarily home to the university’s natural science faculties, parts of the university hospital and the botanical garden. The police announced that they were still “on site with strong forces”. Experts examined a backpack, and a rifle could also be seen in the pictures. Young people stood together in front of the barriers.
There is no official information on the identity of the injured. The police initially gave no further information on the biography of the alleged gunman and the origin of his weapon. According to the DPA, he is said to have been a student himself. According to initial findings, he had no political or religious motives, reports the news agency, citing security circles. The attacker had several long guns with him and is said to have finally shot himself.
An ambulance is parked on the grounds of Heidelberg University. According to the DPA, three people were injured and one killed.
© R.Priebe//Pr-Video / DPA
The university initially did not want to provide any information about the incident and referred to the police. The university later published a message on their website. It says: “Despite all the dismay and concern for the students and employees who had to witness this act, the university management is currently doing everything possible to support the police authorities in clarifying the act. The Rector of Heidelberg University will take part in a press conference of the police in the evening. According to the current state of affairs, no foreign students are affected by the events. The university management is making all preparations for timely psychological support for those affected.”
Sympathy from politics – students stunned
Baden-Württemberg’s Science Minister Theresia Bauer (Greens) was on her way to the crime scene in the afternoon. A spokeswoman for the ministry said that she first met with university rector Bernhard Eitel and now wanted to see for herself. “I’m horrified. It leaves you speechless when innocent young people have to experience something like this in university operations. My thoughts are with those who were injured and affected. I really wish that recovery will come soon,” said Bauer .
Eckart Würzner, Lord Mayor of Heidelberg (independent), wrote down Facebook: “Dear Heidelbergers, today is a terrible day for all of us. The situation is currently opaque, so I ask you to follow the Mannheim police and their instructions and not to spread premature speculation and rumours.”
Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir, who was born around 130 kilometers south of Heidelberg in Bad Urach, was dismayed by the incident: “My thoughts are with the injured, with the university staff, with the police, emergency service and all other emergency services,” wrote the Green politician on Twitter.
Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) tweeted: “Terrible news is reaching us from Heidelberg. My thoughts are with the victims and the local people. Thanks to the emergency services for their service.”
Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) also reacted: “My thoughts are with the injured and their families in Heidelberg. Speculation is out of the question. My thanks go to all the emergency services on site.” Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) also wrote on Twitter: “Horrifying news from Heidelberg. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. I wish them a speedy and full recovery.”
Many students were also stunned. “We are infinitely shocked. This is a catastrophe that eludes everything conceivable between lectures, exams and university life,” said Peter Abelmann, chairman of the student body, on Monday. The news of the killing spree spread like wildfire among the students, said Abelmann. Some would have reported directly about the crime via messenger services. The student body’s thoughts are with those affected.
Shock among university employees
“At first we didn’t believe what came in via Telegram and Whatsapp,” says the 32-year-old, who studies sociology, philosophy and art history on the neighboring Bergheim campus. But the helicopters in the air would have left no doubt – something bad had happened. Some students went home, others like himself stayed in the rooms because of the unclear situation. In any case, the buses were no longer driven.
An employee of the university hospital was on her way to her lunch break. “Actually, I just wanted to go to the bakery for a moment, so a lot of patrol cars came towards me. Every ten seconds, I thought something must have happened.” A kind of emergency protocol was triggered in the clinic, all doors were locked.
“Something like that in quiet Heidelberg,” says a woman who is standing with other university employees not far from the police officers in the afternoon. “You only know that from TV.” Her companion shakes her head. “Just a few years ago, a man drove amok in a car here in Heidelberg and killed a man,” she says. “Everyone was shocked. This is just as bad.”