The Latest: Police want images from shooting to help probe
By Associated Press
Jul 22, 2016 5:30 PM CDT
Police officer search a residential area near the Olympia shopping centre after a shooting was reported there in Munich, southern Germany, Friday, July 22, 2016. Several people have been reported to be killed. (AP Photo/Marc Kleine-Kleffmann)   (Associated Press)

BERLIN (AP) — The latest developments on a deadly shooting attack Friday in Munich (all times local):

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12:05 a.m.

Police in Munich are urging people not to upload videos or photos from the shooting attack on social media but instead to provide them to authorities for their investigation by uploading them at a special link online.

The link is https://medienupload-portal01.polizei.bayern.de.

Meanwhile, police spokesman Peter Beck says at least 10 people have been hospitalized.

Bavarian public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk is reporting that 20 people have been wounded in the attack.

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11:55 p.m.

Police say the Munich shooting attack has left eight victims dead along with a 9th body that police are examining to see if it was an attacker.

Video obtained by The Associated Press from German news agency NonstopNews shows two bodies with sheets draped over them not far from a McDonald's across from one of the biggest malls in Munich.

Another video posted online shows a gunman emerging from the door of the McDonald's, raising what appears to be a pistol with both hands and aiming at people on the sidewalk, firing as they flee in terror.

Police are still searching the city for suspected shooters and Munich is in a transit lockdown, with trains, buses and trolley cars halted.

Munich police have set up a hotline for concerned citizens. Residents have also opened their doors to stranded people seeking shelter using the Twitter hashtag #opendoor.

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11:45 p.m.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has expressed shock and sadness over the shootings in Munich.

Speaking outside the U.N. Security Council, Johnson says if this is another terrorist attack "then I think it proves once again that we have a global problem and a global sickness that we have to tackle."

He added he had discussed dealing with the process of radicalization with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during a short meeting Friday.

Earlier, Johnson addressed the Security Council to endorse a British-backed resolution calling on the international community to help destroy Libya's remaining chemical weapons. It was Johnson's first visit to the U.N. as foreign secretary.

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11:35 p.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff notes that the attack in Munich has taken place on the anniversary of another massacre.

Peter Altmaier told German public channel ARD that "today is the fifth anniversary of the terrible massacre in Norway, where young people, students were killed at will by a Norwegian citizen."

Asked whether the attack Friday in Munich that left at least eight dead could have been prevented, Altmaier said: "You can only have absolute security in an absolute surveillance state, and nobody wants that, it would be the opposite of our free western European way of life. "

But he adds that "this became clear again today, we can't talk down this danger ... and that's why it's important to give our security agencies the instruments they need."

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11:25 p.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is being regularly briefed on the shooting attack in Munich and the government has sent members of Germany's elite anti-terrorism force to the scene.

Merkel's chief of staff, Peter Altmaier says "all that we know and can say right now is that it was a cruel and inhumane attack." He told the German public channel ARD that "we can't rule out that there are terrorist links. We can't confirm them, but we are investigating along those lines too."

Altmaier says numerous attacks had been prevented in Germany in recent years "but, and this is important, there can never be absolute security."

Munich police say eight victims have died in the attack Friday.

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11:15 p.m.

Witness Luan Zequiri said he was at the scene when the shooting broke out Friday in Munich near a McDonald's restaurant.

He tells the Germany broadcaster n-tv that he heard the attacker yell an anti-foreigner slur and "there was a really loud scream."

He said he saw only one attacker, who was wearing boots and a backpack. Zequiri says "I looked in his direction and he shot two people on the stairs." He says he hid in a shop, then ran outside when the coast was clear and saw bodies of the dead and wounded on the ground.

Munich police say at least eight people have been killed and several wounded in the shooting attack on Friday, and they are hunting for up to three shooters. A ninth body is being examined to see if it was an attacker.

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10:55 p.m.

The United States says it "condemns in the strongest terms the apparent terrorist attack that has claimed innocent lives in Munich."

Munich police say at least eight people have been killed and several wounded in the shooting attack on Friday, and they are hunting for up to three shooters. A ninth body near the scene in north Munich is being examined to see if it is an attacker.

The statement by White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest says the U.S. "will work closely with our German partners to whom we will make available any resources that would assist their investigation."

He says "our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the deceased, just as we wish those wounded a full recovery."

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10:45 p.m.

Munich police spokesman Marcus Martins says a ninth body has been found at the scene of a shooting attack in Munich and police are "intensively examining" it to see if it may be one of the attackers.

Martin says "according to my knowledge, we're looking for three suspects" in the attack late Friday afternoon outside a McDonald's in Munich that police say has left eight other people dead and several wounded.

Martin would not comment on the nature of the injuries to the ninth body but said it was not one of the eight victims.

It was the second attack this week in Germany. Members of Germany's elite anti-terrorism force are on their way to the scene of the Munich shooting.

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10:30 p.m.

A spokesman for Munich police says the number of people killed in a shooting attack has increased to eight.

Spokesman Peter Beck told The Associated Press he can confirm eight dead and several wounded in the attack Friday near a McDonald's restaurant in a northern section of the Bavarian capital

He says "we can't give a precise number for those wounded. They have been taken to Munich hospitals. The hunt for suspects is still ongoing."

Beck was unable to say whether one or more suspects were among the dead. Police say they are hunting up to three suspects with rifles.

It was the second attack this week in Germany. Members of Germany's elite anti-terrorism force are on their way to the scene of the shooting, and the country's interior minister has cut short his holiday to return to Berlin for a security meeting.

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10:20 p.m.

Members of Germany's elite anti-terrorism force are on their way to the scene of the deadly shooting in Munich.

A security official told The Associated Press that 30 members of the GSG9 special operations unit are landing in Munich "as we speak." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to be quoted by name.

Police say the attack near a McDonald's restaurant in Munich has left at least six people dead and others wounded.

Munich police, who are calling the attack "suspected terrorism," are still hunting for up to three possible shooters armed with rifles. No suspects have been apprehended yet. Residents have been told to stay indoors during the police operation.

___ Frank Jordans in Berlin

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10:15 p.m.

Germany's interior minister has cut short his holiday in the United States to go back way to Berlin late Friday to meet with security officials after an attack near a McDonald's restaurant in Munich left at least six people dead and others wounded.

Munich police, who called the attack "suspected terrorism," were still hunting for up to three possible shooters armed with rifles. No suspects have been apprehended yet.

Police have urged residents to stay indoors while the manhunt is on. Facebook has created a safety check for Munich shooting. Police have set up a hotline for people who are missing relatives and are sending out tweets on safety suggestions in four languages — German, English, French, Turkish.

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9:50 p.m.

Munich police spokesman Peter Beck tells The Associated Press that six people are dead and several are wounded in a shooting attack outside a McDonald's restaurant in Munich.

Munich police spokesman Marcus Martins tells AP they are aware of reports that a man has killed himself while he was being arrested, but said there is no confirmation of this yet. He says up to three suspects armed with rifles are still at large and being hunted by police.

Munich police are calling the Friday afternoon attack "suspected terrorism." They have urged residents to remain indoors while the police operation is going down.

They also are urging social media users to refrain from speculating about the attack on Twitter.

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9:15 p.m.

President Barack Obama is pledging to provide Germany with whatever help it may need to investigate a deadly shooting incident.

Obama says "exactly what's happening" in Munich is unclear.

German police and media reports say six people have been killed and others wounded when a shooter or shooters opened fire at a shopping mall in Munich. A police manhunt is underway.

Obama says he was late getting to a White House meeting on police issues because he was being briefed on developments in Germany, "one of our closest allies." He told his audience the shooting is yet another reminder that people's way of life, their freedom and ability to go about their everyday business depends on law enforcement.

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9:05 p.m.

Munich police are hunting for a shooter or shooters and using the term "suspected terrorism" in connection with a deadly attack at a McDonald's in a city mall.

Bavarian public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk says six people have been killed in the attack but police are only confirming "several dead and wounded" at the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall in the northern section of the Bavarian capital. Police say witnesses have seen three people with what appear to be rifles.

No one is in custody yet. All trains, trams, buses and subways in the city have been shut down during the police operation, and police are urging residents to stay indoors.

This is the second attack in Germany this week, after an Afghan youth attacked five people with an ax and a knife on Monday night near Wuerzburg before being shot dead by police.

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8:45 p.m.

A Munich police spokesman says witnesses have reported seeing three shooters with "long guns" who attacked a McDonald's in a city mall.

Police spokesman Peter Beck also tells The Associated Press he is not yet able to confirm the report by German public broadcaster BR that six people have been killed in the shooting late Friday afternoon. Another Munich police spokeswoman, Claudia Kuenzel, says there are "several dead and wounded" at the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall.

Munich police are hunting the suspects but no one is in custody yet. All trains, trams, buses and subways in the city have been shut down during the police operation, and police have urged residents to stay indoors.

Hospitals in Munich, a city of 1.4 million people, have called in extra staff to prepare for the possibility of large numbers of wounded.

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8:25 p.m.

German public broadcaster BR reports that six people have been killed at a shooting at a McDonald's restaurant in a mall in Munich.

Munich police on Friday night are hunting for the shooter or shooters, saying "the suspects are still on the run." They are urging residents and visitors to stay home, seek safety inside buildings and avoid public places. The city has sent smartphone alerts to tell people to stay indoors.

The attack, the second in Germany this week, occurred just before 6 p.m. at the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall in the northern part of Munich.

The German rail company Deutsche Bahn has stopped train traffic to Munich's main station and Munich public transit operator MVG has shut down all subway, bus and trolley cars because of the police operation to find the shooters.

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8:15 p.m.

Munich police are urging residents to stay home or seek safety indoors as they hunt for a shooter or shooters who attacked people at a mall.

In a statement, Munich police say "the suspects are still on the run. Please avoid public places." They urge people not to post tweets or post photos of police operations in the city.

Munich police spokeswoman Claudia Kuenzel says there are "several dead and wounded" in the shooting at the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall in northern Munich.

Munich public transit operator MVG says all subway, bus and trolley cars have been shut down because of the police operation until further notice.

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8 p.m.

A Munich police spokeswoman says there are "several dead and wounded" in a shooting at a mall in the Bavarian capital, and police are still hunting down the suspect or suspects.

Claudia Kuenzel tells The Associated Press that "the shooter or shooters are still on the run" — either in the mall or around the mall.

Public broadcaster Bayrischer Rundfunk reports that the late afternoon attack happened at a McDonald's restaurant at the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall in the northern part of Munich.

Armin Fritz, a reporter for public radio B5, says the city's entire public transport system has been shut down as police search for the attacker or attackers.

It's the second attack in Germany in less than a week.

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7:40 p.m.

Germany's dpa news agency reports that police in Munich are saying "we expect multiple dead" in a shooting at a mall and police are hunting for the shooter or shooters.

Dpa is quoting Munich police as saying no one has been captured yet.

Dpa says the attack started at a fast food restaurant in the mall, shortly before 6 p.m. (1600 GMT) according to Munich police spokesman Thomas Baumann. He was quoted as saying that police didn't know whether they were dealing with one or more shooters.

The Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall in the northern part of Munich is not far from the city's Olympic Stadium in the Moosach district of the Bavarian capital.

It's the second attack in Germany in less than a week.

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7:25 p.m.

Germany's dpa news agency reports that police in Munich are saying "we expect multiple dead" in a shooting at a mall.

The Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall in the northern part of Munich is not far from the city's Olympic Stadium in the Moosach district of the Bavarian capital.

Police are responding to the reported attack Friday in large numbers.

Munich police are urging people to avoid public places. "The situation is still unclear," they said on Twitter.

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6:40 p.m.

Police in Germany say there's been a shooting at a shopping center in Munich.

Munich police confirm shots have been fired at Olympia Einkaufszentrum shopping center but say they don't have any details about casualties.

Police are responding in large numbers. German media say multiple people are injured.

It's the second attack in Germany in less than a week. On Monday, a 17-year-old Afghan wounded four people in an ax-and-knife attack on a regional train near the Bavarian city of Wuerzburg, and attacked another woman outside as he fled. All survived, although one man from the train remains in life-threatening condition. The attacker was shot and killed by police.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the train attack, but authorities have said the teen likely acted alone.

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