2 Dead, 4 Injured After Iraqi Gunman Opens Fire In A Nightclub In Germany

A 34-year-old gunman of Iraqi origin opened fire in a packed nightclub in the southern German city of Konstanz on Sunday, July 30th, killing one person and injuring four others.

The suspect was fatally wounded in a gunfight with police officers outside the music venue after they had rushed to the scene shortly after the incident. He died later in hospital.

"He was critically injured in a shootout with police officers as he left the disco, and later succumbed to his wounds in hospital," police said in a statement.

The motive for the shooting is unclear. One police officer was also injured in the exchange of fire.

"We're not assuming that this is an act of terrorist violence," police spokesman Fritz Bezikofer told rolling news channel NTV.

"The events in the disco and all the links are somewhat clearer and they actually rule out a terror background," he said, adding that the gunman was not an asylum seeker and has been living in Germany for some time.

Another police source said he could have been motivated by personal relationship issues.

Officers began receiving emergency calls from terrified clubbers at around 4:30 am (0230 GMT) as the man began shooting in the nightclub heaving with "several hundred" people, said police.

One person was killed on the spot and three others seriously wounded in the club called "Grey", located in an industrial zone in Constance, a city on the banks of the eponymous lake near the Swiss border.

Shortly after the gunman left the building, he was shot by police. One officer was also injured in the exchange of fire.

Terrified nightclubbers had either fled the building or found a place to hide, police said, adding that the danger was now over.

Helicopters were circling overhead and special forces were also deployed to secure the site.
'Club was jam-packed'

A witness told national news agency DPA that the attacker was shooting randomly at clubbers around him.

"The club was jam-packed," added the unnamed man, who said he had seen the attacker and fled quickly with his friends.

A bouncer at the site had sought to stop the attacker, but was himself injured by the man, local broadcaster SWR said, also reporting witnesses saying that the gunman was armed with an automatic pistol.

Police was unable to confirm the type of weapon used, but Bezikofer said it was "not just a pistol, the talk is of a long weapon or an automatic pistol".

Police said in a statement that special commando forces have been deployed in the city as it was not clear if the suspected had acted alone or had accomplices.

Source: NPA, NTV News