Lone gunman dead after shooting four people at German university

World

A lone gunman has shot and injured several people at a lecture theatre in Heidelberg, Germany.

Police said the attacker was dead but did not give details of how that happened.

The Bild newspaper reported that the shooter opened fire in the lecture hall and turned the gun on himself after wounding several people.

Bild quoted news agency dpa as saying the attacker was a student.

Security officials reportedly said he appears to have had no political or religious motives, and he is said to have carried several rifles with him.

Officers had earlier asked the public to avoid the Neuenheimer Feld area, where the city’s university is located.

The number of people wounded has not been specified – neither has the severity of their injuries.

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A long-barrelled firearm was used by the perpetrator.

Police and emergency services were dispatched to the scene.

The crime scene at Neuenheimer Feld – where the natural science faculties and parts of the university hospital are located – was cordoned off, according to Bild.

Located south of Frankfurt, Heidelberg has about 160,000 residents and is home to one of Germany’s best-known universities.

The university’s press office declined to give any details about the shooting and said all inquiries should be directed to police.