3 shooters, reportedly clad in black
8 victims

At least eight killed in Munich shooting

Claire Jones and James Shotter in Frankfurt and Cardiff Garcia in Munich

Munich was in lockdown on Friday night after at least eight people were killed and many others injured in a shooting that started outside a shopping centre in the Bavarian capital on Friday evening.

A large police operation was under way after shots were fired at the Olympia shopping centre, about 10km north of the city centre.

Police initially described the attack as an “acute terrorist situation”. There was little information on the identity of the assailants but police said there were no indications as yet that the incident had anything to do with Islamist terrorism.

When asked if it was an Islamist attack, Peter Altmaier, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff, said: “There is no clarity and no certainty so far about that [but] we will investigate this option.”

Later, police said they had found the body of a male about 1km from the shopping centre and were investigating whether he was one of the attackers.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany’s foreign minister, wrote on Facebook: “My thoughts are with the victims and their families as well as with the brave police forces and rescue workers”.

“The motives for this abhorrent act have not yet been completely clarified — we still have contradictory clues,” Mr Steinmeier said.

Earlier, Thomas Baumann, a spokesman for Munich police, said shots had been fired at a McDonald's in the vicinity of the shopping centre at 17.52 local time.

He confirmed that three gunmen were involved in the shooting and that they were still at large, with reports suggesting the attackers had fled into the shopping centre.

Munich central railway station was evacuated and rail, underground and bus services suspended.

The Munich police used Twitter and Facebook to urge residents to stay indoors and avoid public places.

At the Nürnberger Bratwurst Glöckel in the Altstadt, a café in the city centre, diners were ordered inside and the doors locked behind them.

After shepherding people upstairs, the lights were turned off as a precaution. For about half an hour people could be seen running and walking past the café but eventually the streets emptied.

A police officer later entered the café, confirmed there was an operation under way and requested people to stay where they were. “It’s safe here,” he said.

By the café near the old town’s Frauenkirche cathedral, people were seen roaming the streets again by 21:00 local time.

Horst Seehofer, the Bavarian prime minister, rushed back to Munich from his home in Ingolstadt to attend emergency meetings.

Speaking from the White House, US President Barack Obama said: “We don’t yet know exactly what is happening there but obviously our hearts go out to those who may have been injured. It is still an active situation and Germany is one of our closest allies and we are going to pledge all the support that they may need in dealing with these circumstances.”

Boris Johnson, Britain’s foreign secretary, said he was “shocked and appalled by the terrible attack unfolding this evening in Munich, and the loss of life”.

“We stand ready to assist our friends in Germany. Our travel advice to UK nationals in the area tonight is to stay indoors and follow the advice of the local authorities.”

Security services across Europe have been on high alert after a string of terrorist attacks in public spaces over the past 18 months.

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The incident in Munich comes four days after a 17-year-old Afghan refugee attacked passengers on a train near the Bavarian town of Würzburg with an axe and a knife. He wounded five people before being shot dead by police.

Isis claimed responsibility for the attack and a video was later released showing the youth threatening to kill “infidels” and brandishing a knife. Authorities said, however, that initial investigations suggested he had no connection to jihadist networks.

German authorities have also been contending in recent months with a sharp rise in violence from far-right groups, apparently unhappy with the recent surge in immigration from the Middle East.

The Munich attack coincides with the fifth anniversary of a mass shooting in Norway by rightwing extremist Anders Breivik.

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Enough is enough.