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Gunman dead after shooting in German university lecture hall

Many injured after gunman attacked with ‘long gun’

GERMANY-CRIME/POLICE Police and firefighters secure the premises of the Heidelberg university | Reuters

A lone gunman injured several people at a university hall in the German town of Heidelberg on Monday. The gunman was reported dead, while four were seriously wounded.

A large operation including emergency services is underway in Heidelberg’s Neuenheimer Feld area. Police said that the perpetrator was dead, but didn't give details of how that happened. They had earlier asked people on Twitter to avoid the Neuenheimer Feld area of Heidelberg, where a large university campus is located.

The man opened fire with a long-barrelled firearm in a lecture hall and then fled outside, police said. They stressed that they believe he was acting alone and there was no longer any danger.

This is the first mass shooting in Germany since the Hanau shootings in February 2020, which left 9 killed.

German news agency dpa cited unidentified security sources as saying that the gunman killed himself. It also reported, without citing sources, that the gunman is believed to have been a student himself, and that security officials say initial indications are that he didn't have any political or religious motive.

Heidelberg is located south of Frankfurt and has about 160,000 inhabitants. Its university is one of Germany's best-known.

With inputs from PTI

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