Did Munich killer lure children to their deaths on Facebook? Police probe fake ad for free food at massacre McDonald's where Iranian, 18, killed first of his nine victims before turning gun on himself


By Anthony Joseph and Patrick Lion and Alan Hall In Berlin For Mailonline 16:33 GMT 22 Jul 2016, updated 01:26 GMT 23 Jul 2016

  • A number of people have been killed and another 21 people are injured after gunmen went on a shooting rampage
  • Police operation is ongoing in Munich, with the force warning people to stay in their homes and avoid public spaces
  • Terrified shoppers were seen running for their lives from the Olympia Shopping Centre after hearing gunshots 
  • Witnesses said that the shopping centre gunman screamed 'I'm German' and 'Allahu Akbar' before shooting
  • Shooter reportedly fled after his shooting spree on the city underground network, which has now been shut down
  • His body was found half a mile from the scene. Police believe he acted alone after initially looking for three gunmen
  • He has now been identified as an 18-year-old Iranian, who has been living in Munich for more than two years

Police are investigating a fake Facebook advert which offered free food at the McDonald's where a gunman killed the first of his nine victims. 

Munich was in lockdown for a major police operation around the city's Olympic Park, after an 18-year-old Iranian opened fire at the fast food restaurant, before targeting shoppers in a busy mall.

The gunman's body has been found half a mile from the scene after he reportedly turned the gun on himself. Police now believe he may have acted alone, after they initially went in search of three gunmen yesterday.

And at a press conference at 2.30am local time today, Munich Police President Hubertus Andrae confirmed the force were probing a Facebook page which was offering free food at the McDonald's at the same time the gunman began his shooting spree.

The shooter has been identified as a dual nationality German-Iranian, who has been living in Munich for more than two years.

A total of 21 people were taken to hospital as a result of the incident - three are fighting for their lives in critical condition and 13 are still receiving medical treatment. 

Terrified shoppers were seen running for their lives from the Munich Olympia Shopping Centre, in the district of Moosach, after hearing gunshots. 

Witnesses said that the gunman screamed 'I'm German' and 'Allahu Akbar' before shooting at children. 

A video purporting to show the shooter, dressed in black, firing 20 shots has been posted on Twitter
A video purporting to show the shooter, dressed in black, firing 20 shots has been posted on Twitter
The video shows him outside a McDonald's directly outside the shopping centre
The video shows him outside a McDonald's directly outside the shopping centre
The gunman's body has been found half a mile from the scene after he reportedly turned the gun on himself. Police now believe he may have acted alone, after they initially went in search of three gunmenĀ 
The gunman's body has been found half a mile from the scene after he reportedly turned the gun on himself. Police now believe he may have acted alone, after they initially went in search of three gunmen 
One picture on social media shows a man lying on the ground with an aliminium blanket over him
One picture on social media shows a man lying on the ground with an aliminium blanket over him

Mr Andrae said: 'The perpetrator was an 18-year-old German-Iranian from Munich. The motive or explanation for this crime is completely unclear.' 

A woman named Loretta said she was in the McDonald's when the man with a gun came out of a bathroom and began shooting.

She told CNN: 'I come out of the toilet and I hear like an alarm, boom, boom, boom. He's killing the children. The children were sitting to eat. They can't run.'

Loretta said she had been in the bathroom at the same time as the shooter, with her eight-year-old son. She said the man yelled: 'Allahu Akbar!'  

A huge manhunt was launched across the city, including snipers in helicopters. Last night, police said they believed there could have been up to three gunmen who were on the loose. They issued a warning to people, saying: 'There are shooters on the run who are dangerous.' 

Murat T described seeing 'lifeless bodies' in the restaurant when he went to look for his son Orhan's friend. 

Orhan said he heard gunshots while on the phone to his friend, before the call cut out. He said: 'We no longer reach him. Not even his parents. He is like my brother.'

A video purporting to show the shooter, dressed in black, firing 20 shots has been posted on Twitter. The footage shows him outside the McDonald's directly outside the shopping centre.

An electrical shop next to the shopping centre is being used as a makeshift hospital to treat the casualties
An electrical shop next to the shopping centre is being used as a makeshift hospital to treat the casualties
A paramedic treats a patient at the scene
A paramedic treats a patient at the scene
Off-duty doctors and nurses have been summoned to hospitals in Munich, with a hospital spokesperson telling DPA: 'The alarm for a 'mass attack' has been triggered'
Off-duty doctors and nurses have been summoned to hospitals in Munich, with a hospital spokesperson telling DPA: 'The alarm for a 'mass attack' has been triggered'

In unverified footage, a man with dark hair, wearing a black t-shirt and denim trousers, appears to take aim at people, including children, outside the McDonald's restaurant near the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum metro station.

He raises his arms, apparently holding a shotgun, and appears to fire at people outside the restaurant, who can be seen running for cover.

The sound of multiple shots being fired can be heard as shoppers and passers-by run for cover. People were seen fleeing from the building in another video posted on social media.

In another video on social media a man can be heard yelling at suspect in the car park that he is a 'w*****' and an 'a******e.' And he yelled: 'Put your gun down.'

The gunman, when he walks across the roof of the car park, shouts out: 'I am a German!'

The man who is abusing him then shouts out; 'You are a w*****!' The gunman tells him to 'shut your trap.' Then he fires more shots and the rest of what is said is unintelligible.  

THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE MUNICH MALL SHOOTER AND A MAN ON A BALCONY WAS CAUGHT ON CAMERA

In another video on social media a man can be heard yelling at suspect in the car park that he is a 'w*****' and an 'a******e.' And he yelled: 'Put your gun down.'
In another video on social media a man can be heard yelling at suspect in the car park that he is a 'w*****' and an 'a******e.' And he yelled: 'Put your gun down.'

Balcony man: 'You fucking a*****e you...'

Gunman: 'Because of you I was bullied for 7 years...'

Balcony man: 'You w****r you. you're a w****r'

Gunman: '...and now I have to buy a gun to shoot you'

Balcony man: 'A gun! F**k off! Your head should be cut off you a*****e'

The gunman and balcony man begin shouting at each other.  

Balcony man apparently to people filming: 'He's got a gun here the guy has one'

Unseen voice: 'F*****g Turks!'

Balcony man: 'F*****g foreigner'

Balcony man to someone else: 'Ey! He's got a gun! He has loaded his gun. Get the cops here. He's walking around here the w****r!'

Gunman: 'I am German.'

Balcony man: 'You're a w****r is what you are'

Gunman: 'Stop filming!'

Balcony man: 'A w****r is what you are. What the f**k are you doing?'

Shooter: 'Yeah what, I was born here.'

Balcony man: 'Yeah and what the f**k you think you're doing?'

Gunman: 'I grew up here in the Hartz 4 (unemployment benefits in Germany) area.'

Balcony man and Shooter talk at same time. 

Balcony man: 'Yeah treatment is something for you'

Gunman: 'I haven't done anything here for (unintelligible) ... 'Please shut your mouth'

Balcony man: 'You c**t you'

Balcony man to people nearby: 'Hey, he's on the upper floor here.'

The cameraman goes into cover as the gunman starts firing. Balcony man calls him a c***t again.

Balcony man: 'They must have been s******g into your head' 

Gunman: 'They have not. They have not, that's the thing. They have not.'    

The area around the Munich Olympia Shopping Centre, in the district of Moosach, has been sealed off as emergency services try to control the situation. Snipers in helicopters are circling the city from above, according to Bild. 

An electrical shop next to the shopping centre is being used as a makeshift hospital to treat the casualties. 

Off-duty doctors and nurses have been summoned to hospitals in Munich, with a hospital spokesperson telling DPA: 'The alarm for a 'mass attack' has been triggered.' 

Police officers escort people from inside the shopping center as they respond to a shooting at the Olympia Einkaufzentrum (OEZ)
Police officers escort people from inside the shopping center as they respond to a shooting at the Olympia Einkaufzentrum (OEZ)
Special force police officers stand in front of a car near the Olympia shopping mall, following a shooting rampage at the mall in Munich
Special force police officers stand in front of a car near the Olympia shopping mall, following a shooting rampage at the mall in Munich
Police officers speak with people at a closed street near the shopping mall Olympia Einkaufzentrum OEZ in Munich following the attack
Police officers speak with people at a closed street near the shopping mall Olympia Einkaufzentrum OEZ in Munich following the attack
A police sniper sits in a helicopter above the scene of a shooting rampage at the Olympia shopping mall in Munich
A police sniper sits in a helicopter above the scene of a shooting rampage at the Olympia shopping mall in Munich
Armed police patrolled the streets of Munich
Armed police patrolled the streets of Munich
Police secures the main train station following shootings at a shopping mall
Police secures the main train station following shootings at a shopping mall
People leave the Olympia mall in Munich, southern Germany, Friday, July 22, 2016 after several people have been killed in a shooting
People leave the Olympia mall in Munich, southern Germany, Friday, July 22, 2016 after several people have been killed in a shooting
Chief of Munich Police Marcus Dagloria Martins said: 'We are at the moment after three attackers. We have about 100 people on site and we are trying to evacuate people from the site. Our priority is to catch the attackers at this stage and then we will inform you again'
Chief of Munich Police Marcus Dagloria Martins said: 'We are at the moment after three attackers. We have about 100 people on site and we are trying to evacuate people from the site. Our priority is to catch the attackers at this stage and then we will inform you again'

Before the gunman was found dead, Chief of Munich Police Marcus Dagloria Martins, said last night: 'We are at the moment after three attackers. We have about 100 people on site and we are trying to evacuate people from the site. Our priority is to catch the attackers at this stage and then we will inform you again.

'We were first alerted when somebody entered the shopping centre with a weapon and we rushed to the scene. We are doing what we can. The emergency calls that an armed man was on site. All emergency services at scene are for Munich but we are also looking at back up from the region.

'What can I say about the attackers is that up to now there are three that we know of and that is all the information I can tell you at the moment regarding the shooters.

'They used a short handgun or a pistol of some sort, that is what I can tell you.

'We closed down not only that area but the surrounding area. I'm hoping you will share all your information and videos with us as this will give us clues and help us track down the shooters. We are asking people to send in their videos.

Chief of Munich Police Marcus Dagloria Martins talks to the media after the shootings and confirms that at least nine people are dead
Chief of Munich Police Marcus Dagloria Martins talks to the media after the shootings and confirms that at least nine people are dead
Terrified shoppers were seen running for their lives from the Munich Olympia Shopping Centre, in the district of Moosach, after hearing gunshots
Terrified shoppers were seen running for their lives from the Munich Olympia Shopping Centre, in the district of Moosach, after hearing gunshots

'Our main priority is the security of the population. This is my first time in such a situation.

'We cant tell more about the situation. All I can tell you is what I've told you so far. We will update you as soon as we can.

'There are a lot of rumours flying around at the moment and all I am saying to you is what I can tell you for sure. We are telling the people of Munich that there are shooters on the run who are dangerous. It is too early for me to make any other comments on the shooters at this stage.

'This is the biggest police operation in the last 10 years that we've had to deal with. You must trust your local police. The Munich police is very well trained. 

'Firearms are a huge problem in this particular incident. We urge people to stay indoors and help us with our work and I'm calling on media to help us carry out our jobs. 

'We've managed to evacuate people from inside and hopefully brought everyone to safety. There are people who have been traumatised by this and I can tell you they are in the double figures.

'We have to treat this as some form of a terror attack as it is an attack with weapons but as to what is behind this we don't know yet.

'We are also watching these videos people have been showing but you must give me time to analyse these properly.'  

Last night, Munich police tweeted: 'We currently do not know where to find the perpetrators. Watch yourself and avoid to be the public'.  

Despite reports on social media, Munich Fire Department said it was not aware of a separate shooting at the city's Stachus central square 

Munich Police said in a statement: 'At around 5.50pm (local time) today there were witnesses who called the police and said there was a shooting at the Hanauer Street.

'The shooting moved from that street to the shopping centre. The witnesses said there were three different people with weapons. 

'At the moment no culprit has been arrested. The search is taking place at high speed.' 

A second shooting was said to have taken place near Marienplatz subway station, which is just four miles from the Olympic Park area. But police could not confirm that was the case
A second shooting was said to have taken place near Marienplatz subway station, which is just four miles from the Olympic Park area. But police could not confirm that was the case
Armed police move past onlooking media responding to a shooting at a shopping centre in Munich
Armed police move past onlooking media responding to a shooting at a shopping centre in Munich
Armed policemen arrive at a shopping centre in which a shooting was reported in Munich, southern Germany
Armed policemen arrive at a shopping centre in which a shooting was reported in Munich, southern Germany

A police reporter for Bavarian Radio said police were moving people off the streets in central Munich as they search for the perpetrators.

'All of the police forces are at the shopping centre and at the official places in Munich as well and they're calling out that nobody's allowed to go to the official places,' the reporter, Lena Deutch, told the BBC.

'They are trying to close everything down because we do not know where this person who's been doing the shooting is at the moment.'  

People were seen running from the shopping mall to get away from the incident
People were seen running from the shopping mall to get away from the incident
A video grab of the scene around the Olympia shopping centre in the district of Moosach of Munich
A video grab of the scene around the Olympia shopping centre in the district of Moosach of Munich

It is reported that the gunman fled after his shooting spree on the city underground network, which has now been shut down. The country's train operator confirmed the main station had been evacuated.

Photos flashed on to social media sites of at least one body covered by aluminium sheets.

'Stay in your homes. Leave the road!' Polizei MĆ¼nchen said in a tweet. 

A spokesman for the German police said there was a 'shooting spree'. An official at the Munich Olympia Shopping Centre declined comment, saying only, 'We are experiencing a problem.' 

The area around the Munich Olympia Shopping Centre in the district of Moosach has been sealed off as emergency services try to control the situation
The area around the Munich Olympia Shopping Centre in the district of Moosach has been sealed off as emergency services try to control the situation

Thamina Stoll, 22, of Durham, North Carolina, who is in Munich on a summer internship, filmed people fleeing the shopping centre during the attacks from her grandma's apartment.

She said she had just visited the shopping centre with her grandma and a cousin for an hour before the shooting started.

However, she was due to return to the centre with more members of her family when her mum and dad arrived.

'When we went down to the street, we ran into another family and they were in shock,' she told MailOnline.

'They were scared and they told us not to go back to the shopping mall. After we were spoken to by the family, we went back upstairs to my grandma's apartment - who lives about three minutes away from the shopping mall. We took in the family. They were so scared.

'From the balcony we were able to witness about 50 people running towards our house seeking shelter. Sirens started to arrive and a helicopter appeared.'

Thamina Stoll, 22, of Durham, North Carolina, who is in Munich on a summer internship, filmed people fleeing the shopping centre during the attacks from her grandma's apartment
Thamina Stoll, 22, of Durham, North Carolina, who is in Munich on a summer internship, filmed people fleeing the shopping centre during the attacks from her grandma's apartment
A policeman at the scene
A policeman at the scene

DISTRESSING VIDEO FOOTAGE SHOWS SEVERAL VICTIMS ON STRETCHERS FOLLOWING MUNICH GUN RAMPAGE

By Amie Gordon for MailOnline 

Distressing video footage has shown several victims on stretchers following a gun rampage in Munich this evening.

The city is now in lockdown tonight after at least nine people were killed and several more injured in a shooting rampage.

Early reports suggest three gunmen could be behind the attack.  Amid the horrific scenes, teams of medics are battling to save victims of the gun attack, as the number of people injured rises.

Shocking video footage has shown several victims on stretchers following a horrific gun rampage in Munich this evening
Shocking video footage has shown several victims on stretchers following a horrific gun rampage in Munich this evening
The city is now inĀ lockdown tonight after at least six people were killed and a further 10 injured in a shooting rampage involving three gunmen
The city is now in lockdown tonight after at least six people were killed and a further 10 injured in a shooting rampage involving three gunmen
Teams of medics are battling to save and help victims of the gun attack, as the number of people injured rises
Teams of medics are battling to save and help victims of the gun attack, as the number of people injured rises
Shocking scenes of the aftermath of the attack in Munich
Shocking scenes of the aftermath of the attack in Munich

A major police operation is ongoing around the city's Olympic Park, with the force warning people to stay in their homes and avoid public spaces as they admitted they don't know where the gunmen are.

The shocking footage shows a number of injured people being treated by paramedics at the scene of the incident.

Terrified shoppers were seen running for their lives from the Munich Olympia Shopping Centre, in the district of Moosach, after hearing gunshots. 

Thamina Stoll, 22, of Durham, North Carolina, who is in Munich on a summer internship, filmed people fleeing the shopping centre during the attacks from her grandmother's apartment.

She said some 50 terrified people ran towards her house, seeking shelter.

A major police operation is ongoing in Munich, around the city's Olympic Park, with the force warning people to stay in their homes and avoid public spaces
A major police operation is ongoing in Munich, around the city's Olympic Park, with the force warning people to stay in their homes and avoid public spaces

Ms Stoll said had just visited the shopping centre with her grandmother and a cousin for an hour before the shooting started.

However, she was due to return to the centre with more members of her family when her mum and dad arrived.

'When we went down to the street, we ran into another family and they were in shock,' she told MailOnline.

'They were scared and they told us not to go back to the shopping mall. 

'After we were spoken to by the family, we went back upstairs to my grandma's apartment - who lives about three minutes away from the shopping mall. We took in the family. They were so scared.

'From the balcony we were able to witness about 50 people running towards our house seeking shelter. Sirens started to arrive and a helicopter appeared.'

Ms Stoll said the family felt like the other family who warned them had saved their lives.

'I feel very lucky because I had been there an hour before and I was just about to return,' she said.

'Me and my family - we were saved. We are completely safe but there were still a lot of people running.'

'God knows what would have happened to us if my family had decided to go that shopping mall half an hour later. We might not be alive now.' 

Police officers search a residential area near the Olympia shopping centre after the shooting
Police officers search a residential area near the Olympia shopping centre after the shooting

Policemen arrive the Olympia shopping centre in Munich, where a number of people have been killed and several more injured
Policemen arrive the Olympia shopping centre in Munich, where a number of people have been killed and several more injured

An earlier video purporting to show the shooter, dressed in black, firing 20 shots has been posted on Twitter. 

The footage shows him outside a McDonald's directly outside the shopping centre.

Police have confirmed that there a multiple deaths as a result of the incident and German media have reported there may be up to 15 killed.

Tonight, Munich police tweeted: 'We currently do not know where to find the perpetrators. Watch yourself and avoid to be the public'.

A second shooting has taken place near Marienplatz subway station, which is just four miles from the Olympic Park area.

Munich Police said in a statement: 'At around 5.50pm (local time) today there were witnesses who called the police and said there was a shooting at the Hanauer Street.

'The shooting moved from that street to the shopping centre. The witnesses said there were three different people with weapons.' 

Heavily armed police forces operate at Karlsplatz (Stachus) square after a shooting in the Olympia shopping centre in Munich
Heavily armed police forces operate at Karlsplatz (Stachus) square after a shooting in the Olympia shopping centre in Munich

Ms Stoll said the family felt like the other family who warned them had saved their lives.

'I feel very lucky because I had been there an hour before and I was just about to return,' she said.

'Me and my family - we were saved. We are completely safe but there were still a lot of people running.'

'God knows what would have happened to us if my family had decided to go that shopping mall half an hour later. We might not be alive now.'  

First reports said a heavily armed man wandered through the shopping centre opening fire at will. Pictured are armed police on the roof of the car park
First reports said a heavily armed man wandered through the shopping centre opening fire at will. Pictured are armed police on the roof of the car park

Workers have said they are still hiding inside the Munich shopping centre after the shooting in the building.

One employee reported that 'many shots were fired' during the incident and he saw one person lying on the ground with serious injuries.

Another said: 'Many shots were fired, I can't say how many but it's been a lot.

'All the people from outside came streaming into the store and I only saw one person on the ground who was so severely injured that he definitely didn't survive. 

'We have no further information, we're just staying in the back in the storage rooms. No police have approached us yet.' 

Another worker, Lynn Stein, told CNN: 'I was just going to buy something while my co-worker was still in the shop.

'People started running. I went outside as well, more people were running outside. I think I heard more shots. Then it sounded like he went to the parking house next to the mall - several shots there.  

'I saw somebody lying on the floor, presumably dead and there's a woman over them, crying.'  

Firefighters gathering at the entrance of a shopping centre in which a shooting was reported, Munich, Germany
Firefighters gathering at the entrance of a shopping centre in which a shooting was reported, Munich, Germany

The shopping centre is next to the Munich Olympic stadium, where the Palestinian militant group Black September took 11 Israeli athletes hostage and eventually killed them during the 1972 Olympic Games. 

Thamina Stoll, a university student in Munich, tweeted video of the scene showing people running.

'Helicopter, sirens and people on the street #Munich #shooting #OEZ #MĆ¼nchen,' she said.

'At least 30 police cars on their way to #Munich #shoppingmall according to local radio station. Area around mall blocked by police.' 

British nationals in Germany are being advised to comply with instructions from local authorities.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We are urgently investigating an incident in Munich and stand ready to provide assistance to British Nationals.' 

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tweeted: 'Deeply shocked & saddened by #Munich shootings. My thoughts are w/ the victims, their loved ones & all #Germany at this time.'

AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT REVEALS THE HARROWING SCENES AFTER BEING CAUGHT UP IN MUNICH ATTACK

American student Thamina Stoll, of Durham, North Carolina, tried to enter the shopping centre with her family
American student Thamina Stoll, of Durham, North Carolina, tried to enter the shopping centre with her family

By Patrick Lion for MailOnline 

An American college student has revealed the harrowing scenes after she and her family were caught in the middle of the Munich shopping centre attack.

Thamina Stoll, 22, of Durham, North Carolina, who is in Munich on a summer internship, filmed people fleeing the shopping centre during the attacks from her grandma's nearby apartment.

She told MailOnline that she had just visited the centre with her grandma and a cousin for an hour before the shooting started. 

However, she was returning to the centre with more members of her family including her mum and dad.

'When we went down to the street, we ran into another family and they were in shock,' she told MailOnline.

'They were scared and they told us not to go back to the shopping mall.

'After we were spoken to by the family, we went back upstairs to my grandma's apartment - who lives about three minutes away from the shopping mall. 

'We took in the family. They were so scared.

'From the balcony we were able to witness about 50 people running towards our house seeking shelter. Sirens started to arrive and a helicopter appeared.'

Ms Stoll, who is studying at Duke University, said the family felt like the other family who warned them had saved their lives.

'I feel very lucky because I had been there an hour before and I was just about to return,' she said.

'Me and my family - we were saved. We are completely safe but there were still a lot of people running.'

'God knows what would have happened to us if my family had decided to go that shopping mall half an hour later. We might not be alive now.'  

The view Thamina Stoll had from her grandma's apartment after fleeing the shopping centre with her family
The view Thamina Stoll had from her grandma's apartment after fleeing the shopping centre with her family
People continuing to flee the shopping centre in Munich after the gunman opened fire in a restaurant
People continuing to flee the shopping centre in Munich after the gunman opened fire in a restaurant

Ms Stoll posted her video to Twitter, showing people fleeing the shopping centre area
Ms Stoll posted her video to Twitter, showing people fleeing the shopping centre area
Ms Stoll's Tweets about the attacks continued after posting the video
Ms Stoll's Tweets about the attacks continued after posting the video
Police officers guard with guns as other officers escort people from inside the shopping centre as they respond to a shooting at the Olympic shopping mall
Police officers guard with guns as other officers escort people from inside the shopping centre as they respond to a shooting at the Olympic shopping mall
The Munich transit system shut down and police asked people to avoid public places and to stay in their own homes
The Munich transit system shut down and police asked people to avoid public places and to stay in their own homes

US President Barack Obama pledged support to Germany in the wake of the deadly shooting rampage, as officials said they were working to determine if any American citizens were affected.

Obama, speaking at a meeting with law enforcement officials, said: 'Our hearts go out to those who may have been injured. It's still an active situation, and Germany's one of our closest allies, so we are going to pledge all the support that they may need in dealing with these circumstances.'

At the State Department, spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said US officials were working with local authorities to determine if any US citizens were affected by the incident. 

An armed police man guards the downtown pedestrian zone near Marienplatz square following a rampage shooting in the city
An armed police man guards the downtown pedestrian zone near Marienplatz square following a rampage shooting in the city
Ā An official at the Munich Olympia Shopping Centre declined comment, saying only, 'We are experiencing a problem'
 An official at the Munich Olympia Shopping Centre declined comment, saying only, 'We are experiencing a problem'
German police secure the entrance to a subway station near a shopping mall where a shooting took place in Munich
German police secure the entrance to a subway station near a shopping mall where a shooting took place in Munich
It is reported that the gunman fled after his shooting spree on the city underground network
It is reported that the gunman fled after his shooting spree on the city underground network
TIMELINE OF TERROR: DEADLY TERROR ATTACKS ON WEST IN LAST 12 MONTHS

The shooting comes just days after a teenage asylum seeker went on the rampage with an axe and a knife on a regional train in Germany, injuring nine people.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the teenager was believed to be a 'lone wolf' attacker who appeared to have been 'inspired' by the Islamic State group but was not a member of the jihadist network.

But the shootings come just days after a teenage asylum seeker went on a rampage with an axe and a knife on a regional train in Germany on Monday, injuring nine people, two of them critically.

One victim is still fighting for his life, the hospital treating him said today.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the teenager was believed to be a 'lone wolf' attacker who appeared to have been 'inspired' by the Islamic State group but was not a member of the jihadist network.

MALLS HAVE BEEN TARGETED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM - BUT NONE HAVE SUCCEEDED IN RECENT YEARS

Britain's shopping malls have been targeted by terrorists – although none have succeeded in recent years.

In 2007 police foiled an Al Qaeda plot to detonate a fertiliser bomb at the busy Bluewater shopping centre in Kent.

Last year, Mohammed Rehman was convicted of plotting a bomb attack on the anniversary of the 7/7 attacks on London. He had asked his Twitter followers whether he should attack the capital's Westfield shopping centre.

Security officials have made plans for an attack. Staff at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway, near Bristol, were advised to round up members of the public and barricade themselves in a shop.

An exercise in May involved a fake suicide bomber 'detonating' explosives inside Manchester's sprawling Trafford centre, sending 800 'victims' running for cover. 

A major police operation is ongoing in Munich, around the city's Olympic Park, with the force warning people to stay in their homes and avoid public spaces as they admitted they don't know where the gunmen
A major police operation is ongoing in Munich, around the city's Olympic Park, with the force warning people to stay in their homes and avoid public spaces as they admitted they don't know where the gunmen
Police officers respond to a shooting at the Olympia Einkaufzentrum (OEZ) at July 22, 2016 in Munich, Germany
Police officers respond to a shooting at the Olympia Einkaufzentrum (OEZ) at July 22, 2016 in Munich, Germany

Authorities said he shouted 'Allahu akbar' (God is greatest) three times as he ran through the carriage slashing passengers on the train near the southern city of Wuerzburg.

The attacker is believed to be either Afghan or Pakistani and investigators are still trying to determine his identity.

The train rampage triggered calls by politicians in Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital, to impose an upper limit on the number of refugees coming into the country.

The assailant had arrived as an unaccompanied minor in Germany in June 2015 and had been staying with a foster family in the region of the attack for the last two weeks.

SHOOTINGS IN MUNICH COME FIVE YEARS TO THE DAY THAT ANDERS BREIVIK MURDERED 77 PEOPLE IN NORWAY

By Victoria Finan by MailOnline 

The shootings in a Munich shopping centre come five years to the day that far-right activist Anders Breivik murdered 77 people on an island in Norway.

At least nine people have died after a gunman opened fire at Munich Olympia Shopping Centre, in the district of Moosach, and police have put the city on lockdown advising people to stay indoors.

On July 22 2011 Anders Behring Breivik exploded a car bomb in Oslo that killed nine people before driving to the island of Utoya where he gunned down 69 people — mostly teenagers — at a youth summer camp.

The shootings in a Munich shopping centre come five years to the day that far-right activist Anders Breivik (pictured making a Nazi salute at his trial) murdered 77 people on an island in Norway
The shootings in a Munich shopping centre come five years to the day that far-right activist Anders Breivik (pictured making a Nazi salute at his trial) murdered 77 people on an island in Norway
Most of those who died on Utoya were teenagers who belonged to Ā the youth branch of Norway's Labour partyĀ 
Most of those who died on Utoya were teenagers who belonged to  the youth branch of Norway's Labour party 
Shoppers fleeing the Munich Olympia Shopping Centre, in the district of Moosach, after a gunman killed at least six people. The city is currently on lockdown
Shoppers fleeing the Munich Olympia Shopping Centre, in the district of Moosach, after a gunman killed at least six people. The city is currently on lockdown

Norway paid an emotional tribute today to those who died  with church services and other events marking what the prime minister called 'one of the darkest days in Norwegian history.'

Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit laid wreaths at the government offices in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, whereLater they attended a memorial service at Oslo Cathedral, which also included victims' families, friends and representatives of a left-wing youth group that hosted the camp on Utoya.

'We still see traces of the terrorist acts. The missed ones will always be there. Time does not heal all wounds,' Solberg said at the memorial ceremony, where the names of all those killed were read out. 'The biggest impact is felt inside us as human beings.'

Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Prime Minister Erna Solberg, right, lay wreaths during a ceremony on Utoya Island, Norway, Friday July 22, 2016. Norway is paying homage to the 77 people killed in a bombing and shooting rampage five years ago, with church services and events to mark one of the darkest days in the Scandinavian country's history
Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Prime Minister Erna Solberg, right, lay wreaths during a ceremony on Utoya Island, Norway, Friday July 22, 2016. Norway is paying homage to the 77 people killed in a bombing and shooting rampage five years ago, with church services and events to mark one of the darkest days in the Scandinavian country's history

In 2012, Breivik was convicted of mass murder and terrorism and given a 21-year prison sentence that can be extended for as long as he's deemed dangerous to society. Legal experts say he will likely be locked up for life.

His attacks traumatized the nation of 5 million, where an estimated one in four people were affected through connections with family, friends or acquaintances of the victims.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Norway's prime minister at the time, said he had painful memories of that fateful day — July 22, 2011.

'It hurts to hear all the names read out,' Stoltenberg said. 'But it's also good to be with other people who were affected that day, and we give each other support and comfort.'

In the afternoon, a ceremony was held on Utoya, a small island on a lake surrounded by wooded hills, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Oslo. It reopened to the public a year ago, when 1,000 youth organization students enrolled for a camp held in memory of the victims.

Special police forces rush to the scene at a shopping centre where a shooting was taking place in Munich
Special police forces rush to the scene at a shopping centre where a shooting was taking place in Munich
Police walks inside a subway station Karlsplatz (Stachus) near a shopping mall following a shooting on July 22, 2016 in Munich
Police walks inside a subway station Karlsplatz (Stachus) near a shopping mall following a shooting on July 22, 2016 in Munich

A record 1.1million migrants and refugees were let in to Germany last year, with Syrians making up the largest group followed by Afghans.

In the latest attack in France, 31-year-old Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel used a truck to mow down 84 people, including children, in the Riviera city of Nice last week.

It was the third major attack on French soil in the past 18 months, after the jihadist carnage in Paris in November and the shootings at satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket in January 2015.

In March, Islamic State-claimed suicide bomb attacks at Brussels airport and a city metro station left 32 people dead.

In May in Germany, a mentally unstable 27-year-old man carried out a knife attack on a regional train in the south of the country , killing one person and injuring three others. 

SHOOTING RAMPAGE TOOK PLACE NEAR OLYMPIC STADIUM AND HAS REVIVED MEMORIES OF 1972 HORROR

Today's terror in a shopping centre is near the Munich Olympic stadium and has revived memories of the horror that overshadowed the German city's hosting of the 1972 Olympic Games.

Just blocks from the Munich Olympic Shopping Centre where today's attack occurred, Palestinian terrorists kidnapped and killed 11 Israeli athletes staying in the Olympic Village.

Early on the morning of September 5, 1972, nine members of the Palestinian terrorist organization, Black September, stormed the village and took the athletes hostage .

The horror of the attacks has continued to echo decades later, with a documentary last year revealing horrifying new details of the killings.

The terrorists beat and tortured the victims and even castrated one of the hostages while his teammates watched.

The horrifying details of the cruelty the 11 athletes went through were revealed by Ankie Spitzer and Illna Romano, the widows of two men who were slain in the massacre.

Today's terror in a shopping centre is near the Munich Olympic stadium and has revived memories of the horror that overshadowed the German city's hosting of the 1972 Olympic Games
Today's terror in a shopping centre is near the Munich Olympic stadium and has revived memories of the horror that overshadowed the German city's hosting of the 1972 Olympic Games

Documents and photographs after the deadly attack on the Olympic Village, which went on for 20 hours, were initially covered up by German police.

But the true extent of the horrors is now being made public for a new documentary, Munich 1972 & Beyond. 

Palestinian terrorists who killed Israeli Olympians at the 1972 Games beat and tortured the victims and even castrated one of the hostages. The horrifying new details have been revealed in a new documentary on the deadly attack. A German is seen negotiating with one of the terrorists in the Munich Olympic Village

Blood stains and bullet holes mark the place where the armed Palestinian terrorists killed two of the Olympians, the other nine died just hours later

Israel's Ilana Romano (left), the widow of middleweight weightlifting champion Yossef Romano, and Ankie Spitzer, the widow of fencing coach Andrei Spitzer, have released information that had been covered up by German police for almost two decades

Relatives of the victims found out the grisly details of their loved ones' deaths in the 1990s, and have shared the information for the new film.

Mrs Romano's husband Yossef, a weightlifter, was one of the captives killed in the early stages of the brutal massacre.

She told the New York Times : 'What they did is that they cut off his genitals through his underwear and abused him.

'Can you imagine the nine others sitting around tied up? They watched this.'

Weightlifter Yossef Romano was mutilated and tortured by Palestinian terrorists during the attack

She added that the photographs were 'as bad I could have imagined. The moment I saw the photos, it was very painful,' she added.

Just blocks from the Munich Olympic Shopping Centre where today's attack occurred, Palestinian terrorists kidnapped and killed 11 Israeli athletes staying in the Olympic Village
Just blocks from the Munich Olympic Shopping Centre where today's attack occurred, Palestinian terrorists kidnapped and killed 11 Israeli athletes staying in the Olympic Village

'I remembered until that day Yossef as a young man with a big smile. I remembered his dimples until that moment.'

'At that moment, it erased the entire Yossi that I knew,' she said.

All 11 athletes were killed after eight gunman from the militant group Black September, a Palestinian organization responsible for nearly a dozen plots in the early 1970s, stormed the Isareli team's hotel rooms.

Five of the gunmen were killed by German security as they tried to escaped, while three more were put in prison.

The three who survived were put in a German prison but released by the authorities and sent to Libya after Black September supporters hijacked a plane and demanded to blow it up unless they were let go.

The three survivors - Jamal Al-Gashey, Adnan Al-Gashey, and Mohammed Safady - went into hiding for years.

It is unclear what became of them. Adnan Al-Gashey and Safady died, but it is not clear whether they were assassinated by Israel or died of other causes.

Jamal Al-Gashey was alive in 1999, when he gave an interview, but what became of him after is unclear.

Mrs Spitzer, whose husband was Israeli fencing coach Andrew Spitzer, explained why she wants the full story to be known.

According to the New York Daily News , she told filmmaker Steven Ungerleider: 'I think you all should know this was not just a hostage story and horrific murder in the Olympic Village - there was torture, our husbands were beaten, and God knows what else.'

Mr Romano, a champion weight lifter, was shot when he tried to overpower the terrorists early in the attack.

He was left to die in front of the other hostages and castrated. It is not clear whether this happened before or after he died.

Other hostages were beaten and sustained serious injuries, including broken bones, Mrs Spitzer told the New York Times.

Five of the gunmen were killed by German security as they tried to escaped, while three more were put in prison
Five of the gunmen were killed by German security as they tried to escaped, while three more were put in prison

Mr Romano and another hostage died in the Olympic Village. Nine more were killed during a failed rescue attempt after they were moved with their captors to a nearby airport.

Mrs Spitzer told the Times: 'The terrorists always claimed that they didn't come to murder anyone - they only wanted to free their friends from prison in Israel.

'They said it was only because of the botched-up rescue operation at the airport that they killed the rest of the hostages, but it's not true. They came to hurt people. They came to kill.'

Mrs Spizter said they constantly pushed for more information on the attack to be released, but the German authorities refused - telling them there was nothing.

Their quest to get more details took a turn in 1992 when Mrs Spizter appeared in a German TV interview to mark the 20th anniversary.

She described her frustration at not being given more police documents and accounts from the attack.

After it aired, a man who wanted to remain anonymous contacted her and said he had 80 pages relating to the case.

West German policemen wearing sweatsuits, bullet-proof vests and armed with submachine guns, take up positions on September 5, 1972 on Olympic Village rooftops where armed Palestinians were holding Israeli team members hostage

They then pushed the German government for more - which is when the sickening images were released.

The film, directed by Stephen Crisman, is slated to be released in time for next year's film festivals, which will also coincide with the opening of a memorial in Munich.

Ungerleider said: 'We set out to tell the story of this 43-year struggle to get acknowledgement for the victims and to build this place, to recognize the struggle, and build a place for mourning and grieving and reconciliation.'

Most of the attention was cast on failures by German security in the wake of the attack.

They were: Moshe Weinberg, the wrestling coach; Romano; Ze'ev Friedman, a weightlifter; David Berger, another weightlifter; Yakov Springer, a weightlifting judge; Eliezer Halfin, a wrestler; Yossef Gutfreund, a wrestling referee; Kehat Shorr, a shooting coach: Mark Slavin, a wrestler; Spitzer; and Amitzur Shapira, a track coach.

Their bodies were identified by relatives in Munich and, because of Jewish tradition, their funerals were held virtually as soon as they were flown home.

In the aftermath of the attacks, Golda Meir, Israel's fourth Prime Minister, secretly authorized the national intelligence agency Mossad to track down and kill those allegedly responsible.

They set up a number of teams to track down the fedayeen, the name they gave to Palestinian militants, with the help of their European substations.

Once a list of targets was compiled, a wave of Black September members were assassinated across Europe.

It later became known as Operation Wrath of God or Mivtza Za'am Ha'El.

In an interview with Israeli newspaper Haaretz in 2006, former Mossad chief Zvi Zamir was asked whether the missions were driven by vengeance.

He said in response: 'We were not engaged in vengeance. We are accused of having been guided by a desire for vengeance.

'That is nonsense. What we did was to concretely prevent in the future. We acted against those who thought that they would continue to perpetrate acts of terror.

'I am not saying that those who were involved in Munich were not marked for death. They definitely deserved to die. But we were not dealing with the past; we concentrated on the future.'

The wrecked helicopter that was the center of a failed rescue attempt at a military airport in FĆ¼rstenfeldbruck. All nine hostages left, five Arab terrorists and a Munich police officer lost their lives during the operation

A German Army bus is parked underneath the hotel. Nine of the Israeli hostages were inside at the time

A coffin with one of the slain Israeli Olympians is carried out of the Munich Olympic Village a day after the horrendous attacks unfolded

Six of the 11 Israeli hostages killed by the Palestinian 'Black September' cell at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Yossef Romano, the torture victim, is top center

In 2012, it was revealed that German Neo-Nazis gave the Palestinian terrorists logistical support in the build-up to the attack.

Abu Daoud, who is believed to the mastermind of the atrocity, met fascist Willi Pohl in Dortmund, according to a city police dossier kept secret for 40 years.

But despite the file being passed on to the German Verfassungsschutz intelligence agency, there is no evidence that they acted on the 2,000-page report.

And this lack of action allowed Daoud, who is named in the police report as his alias Saad Walli, to travel the country to meet fellow terrorists and plan the attack.

Pohl, who is now a crime fiction author, told magazine Der Spiegel: 'I chauffeured Abu Daoud through the entire Federal Republic where he met in different cities with Palestinians.'

The 68 year old, who insists he had no idea the group were planning the attack, claims he unwittingly also helped Daoud obtain false passports and other documents.

But Pohl allegedly later bragged to his employer about his contact with the extremist wing of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, according to the report.

Pohl, who spoke on the condition that he was not photographed, was later asked by the Palestine Liberation Organization's leadership to carry out vengeance attacks for the police killings of five militants, the files say.

Several possible attacks were considered, including a hostage-taking at the cathedral in Cologne, it was claimed.

But he was arrested in Munich in October 1972 and later jailed for two years for possession of illegal weapons.

Moment terrified shoppers cowered inside Munich mall as armed police arrive to tackle gunman

Source http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3703705/Major-police-investigation-way-shots-fired-shopping-centre-Munich.html

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How a cyber attack hampered Hong Kong protesters

‘Not Hospital, Al-Shifa is Hamas Hideout & HQ in Gaza’: Israel Releases ‘Terrorists’ Confessions’ | Exclusive

Islam Has Massacred Over 669+ Million Non-Muslims Since 622AD