At least nine people were killed and others seriously injured in shootings at two hookah bars on Wednesday evening in the German city of Hanau, with a further two bodies connected to the incidents later discovered at a home.
Peter Beuth, interior minister of the German state of Hesse, said on Thursday that a “xenophobic” motive to the attacks is “very much possible.”
Police said the shootings at the hookah bars began at around 10 p.m. Tips from witnesses ultimately led them to a home where two bodies were found, one of which “in high likelihood was the perpetrator.” Police added there is currently no evidence of further attackers.
Officers are still working to identify the victims and the suspect.
Hanau Mayor Claus Kaminsky told Bild in an interview that it had been “a terrible evening.”
He added: “I am deeply affected. The very fact that … people lost their lives shakes me. But I ask all citizens not to participate in speculation. The police must now have the chance to clarify and sort out the situation — until then we should wait … however difficult it is. ”
This article has been updated.