Seven dead – four men and two women aged 33 to 66 years and a seven-month-old fetus – and eight injured, four of them seriously, were the victims of 35-year-old German Philipp F., who broke into the hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses at the address Hamburg and started shoots indiscriminately against those present. Earlier, he shot a woman in her car in the parking lot of the building, but the driver managed to escape.

The assailant, who later committed suicide by shooting himself, had lived in Hamburg for the last few years, worked as a business consultant and until recently was himself a Jehovah’s Witness. He left voluntarily a year and a half ago, “but not in a good mood,” as Hamburg police chief Matthias Trapp recently said.

“The worst crime” in the city’s recent history

Shortly after 21:00 (local time), the police were informed of shots fired at a building in the Altersdorf district in northern Hamburg, Mr Trapp said, and arrived on the scene four minutes later. “Special Forces stormed the building, shot down the door, and probably saved many lives. We are indebted to the immediate and decisive intervention of the police forces that there were no more victims,” he added. According to him, police officers saw the attacker holding a gun and trying to escape to the second floor. There he shot himself.

Philip F. had no criminal record, but his name was entered into the police database due to a gun application he had previously filed as a sport shooter. The permit was issued last December after a prescribed psychological examination. During a search of his house, a large amount of ammunition was found, and computers and mobile phones were confiscated, which are still in the evaluation process.

Hamburg Interior Minister Andy Grote called “the worst crime in the city’s recent history” and praised the security forces for preventing what he said was a greater tragedy. About 20 people were rescued without injury.

Soltz’s message about the tragedy

For his part, the German Chancellor said his thoughts today are with the victims of the “cruel act of violence.”

German Interior Minister Nancy Fesser also reacted via Twitter, saying she was “shocked by the horrific act of violence perpetrated against the community of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Hamburg.”

Ich bin erschüttert über die terrible Gewalttat in einer Gemeinde der Zeugen Jehovah in #Hamburg. Meine Gedanken sind bei den Opfern, ihren Angehörigen & den Gemeindemitgliederen. Die Hintergründe werden mit Hochdruck ermittelt. Thank you very much @PolizeiHamburg & Rettungskräfte.

— Nancy Faser (@NancyFaser) March 10, 2023

Finally, the Jehovah’s Witness community in Germany also issued a statement regarding the incident, expressing “deep sorrow.”

“The religious community is deeply saddened by the horrific murder committed against its members at the Kingdom Hall in Hamburg after a religious ceremony. People died, others were seriously injured.

^{According to information from APE – MEB}