The 18-year-old German-Iranian man who opened fire in a crowded Munich shopping mall and a nearby McDonald's, killing nine people and wounding 16 others before killing himself, has been named in reports by German media as Ali David Sonboly.
According
to reports, Sonboly created a fake
Facebook profile under the alias Selina Akim to entice youngsters to the
centre’s McDonald’s branch, before starting his shooting spree at
around 6.30pm on Friday.
During a press conference on Saturday morning, Munich Police President Hubertus Andrae confirmed the Police force were looking at Ali David Sonboly's Facebook page.
Police gave a "cautious all clear" early on Saturday
morning, more than seven hours after the attack began, and brought much
of the city to a standstill as all public transit systems were shut
down amid a massive manhunt. They said a body found near the scene was
that of the shooter and he appeared to have acted alone.
Five of the attacker’s victims are adolescents – sparking fears it was a revenge attack for teens who bullied him.
Police
say the motives of the attacker are still 'unclear' at the moment and
it may be connected or unconnected to foreign terror groups like ISIS.
This is the third major act of violence against civilians in Western Europe in eight days.
The previous attacks, in the French resort city of Nice and on a train
in Bavaria near the city of Wuerzburg, were claimed by Terrorist group
ISIS.
Ali David Sonboly, the 18-year-old German-Iranian gunman with dual
nationality in the Munich, Germany shooting spree, was a “depressed” and
“deranged” teen, who complained of bullying, was influenced by
Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik, and read about school shootings, according to UK Telegraph and UK Daily Mail, citing police.
The shooting spree – which started at a Munich mall before spreading to a nearby McDonald’s – left at least 11 people dead (including the shooter) and more injured. CNN said Munich police initially believed there were three gunmen and that the shooting spree was a terrorist attack. However, the BBC later reported police now believe there was one gunman; Daily Mail says police found a book about school shooters in Sonboly’s backpack and that police say he did not have clear political motivation. Some media were calling him David S. and others Ali David Sonboly.
There were conflicting accounts of the gunman’s background and motive in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, with some claiming Sonboly shouted “I am German” and made anti-immigrant comments and another eyewitness telling CNN she heard the shooter shout “Allahu Akbar” before shooting children in the face at the McDonald’s across the street from the mall. CBS said police were calling the attack “suspected terrorism,” but they said on Saturday that Sonboly had a “direct link” to a far-right Norwegian mass murderer, Breivik, and that they have not found any ties to ISIS.
The Munich shooting was considered an active shooter incident for several hours, as German police launched an extensive manhunt, as reports came in that the shooter had killed himself. The number of people killed and the number of gunmen varied during the immediate aftermath of the shooting but has grown to 10 dead.
In a Saturday press conference, Munich police described Sonboly as
depressed and deranged, and said he had psychiatric treatment in the
past, AFP said. In a citizen video on a rooftop, Sonboly had mentioned
being bullied and previously seeking medical treatment. According to UK Daily Mail, Sonboly had the book, “Why Kids Kill: Inside The Minds of School Shooters” in his backpack. The book, published in 2010,
describes its contents as “In this breakthrough analysis, Dr. Peter
Langman presents the psychological causes of school shootings and offers
unprecedented insight into why certain teens exhibit the potential to
kill.”
As was seen during the Nice, France terrorist attack at a Bastille Day celebration, the Munich attack was captured in fragmented citizen videos and photos that were immediately disseminated via social media, including Twitter and YouTube. One of the most disturbing videos appeared to show the gunman shooting at people outside the McDonald’s.
In that video, the gunman points a weapon and fires as terrified people flee. Police used a robot to inspect the gunman’s body. Der Spiegel said the gunman was previously unknown to police.
Other videos show police tending to victims. (Warning: Graphic)
Bild says
the gunman lived in “the district of Maxvorstadt” with his parents.
Bild said he went to school near the residents and his neighbors had
seen him the day before. Bild quoted a neighbor as saying, “He lived
right next to me. I saw him only occasionally and do not really know
him. A friend of mine was his classmate, saying that he was more of a
quiet type.”
Other attacks – such as the one in Nice and last fall in Paris, France – were perpetrated by Muslim suspects who may have at least been influenced by ISIS. However, in the Munich attack, early media reports indicated it was possible that the gunman had a different motive: He might have been targeting foreigners. This remained unclear as the manhunt continued.
One video circulating on social media appeared to show a gunman in a shouting match with bystanders. At one point, the gunman appears to say, “Ich bin Deutscher” or “I am German.” July 22 is the anniversary of Anders Breivik’s killing spree in Norway in 2011, fueling speculation of a right-wing attack. However, Munich police later revealed that the gunman was 18, German-American, and with no police record. In a rooftop video captured by a civilian, he shouts that he was born in Germany and says that he lived in the Turkish area of a town, was bullied, and received media treatment, according to translations of the video on Reddit and CNN.
The Mirror says that the gunman may have shouted “f***ing foreigners” before opening fire. According to The Mirror: “Taxi driver says #Munich shooter “was not foreign”
Reddit has posted a translation of the video. The translation quotes the gunman as also saying, “I grew up here in the Hartz 4 (unemployment benefits in Germany) area” and Shooter: “Yeah what, I was born here!” The bystander then insults the shooter repeatedly, according to the translation.
An eyewitness told CNN that she heard a gunman say “Allahu Akbar.”
CNN reported woman named Lauretta told CNN she was in the McDonald’s near the mall when a gun emerged from the bathroom and started shooting. She told CNN’s Dugald McConnell: “I come out of the toilet and I hear like an alarm, boom, boom, boom. He’s killing the children (…) The children were sitting to eat. They can’t run.” The man yelled “Allahu akbar!” she said.
Another witness, identified as Murat T saw “lifeless bodies” in the restaurant when he went to look for a friend of his son, said The Daily Mail. Daily Mail said the son “heard gunshots while on the phone to his friend, before the call cut out. He said: ‘We no longer reach him. Not even his parents. He is like my brother.'”
UK Telegraph says
Sonboly may have drawn people to McDonald’s by posing as a teenage girl
called ‘Selina Akim’ on Facebook and saying the restaurant was going to
offer free food. Victims’ names had not all been released yet, although
one woman, Zabergja Dijamant, Armelea Segashi and Sabina Sulaj were
named as victims. All three are from Albania, said UK Telegraph. Media
reports say his father is a taxi driver.
News reports said the shooting began in the mall. The gunman then moved across the street to a nearby McDonald’s. There were also reports of other shooting scenes throughout the city. CNN said that Munich was in “virtual lockdown.”
According to the Daily Mail, Chief of Munich Police Marcus Dagloria Martins said the police were interviewing at least 100 witnesses and said: “We are at the moment after three attackers…Our priority is to catch the attackers at this stage and then we will inform you again.”
According to UK Daily Mail,
police found files relating to mass shooters at the home where Sonboly
lived with his parents, and the teenager had active-shooter games on his
computer.
The number of people killed kept growing in the hours after the Munich shootings. First media reports said one person had died, then several, then three, and then six. There were also people injured in the attack. The death toll now stands at 10 with many others injured.
The shooting occurred at a mall that is adjacent to the site of the 1972 Olympics, said CNN, quoting police as saying: “The manhunt is underway at high speed. Because of the unclear situation we ask all people in the city area to stay at home or to look for protection in any nearby building. The operation of public transportation service has been stopped
The shooting spree – which started at a Munich mall before spreading to a nearby McDonald’s – left at least 11 people dead (including the shooter) and more injured. CNN said Munich police initially believed there were three gunmen and that the shooting spree was a terrorist attack. However, the BBC later reported police now believe there was one gunman; Daily Mail says police found a book about school shooters in Sonboly’s backpack and that police say he did not have clear political motivation. Some media were calling him David S. and others Ali David Sonboly.
There were conflicting accounts of the gunman’s background and motive in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, with some claiming Sonboly shouted “I am German” and made anti-immigrant comments and another eyewitness telling CNN she heard the shooter shout “Allahu Akbar” before shooting children in the face at the McDonald’s across the street from the mall. CBS said police were calling the attack “suspected terrorism,” but they said on Saturday that Sonboly had a “direct link” to a far-right Norwegian mass murderer, Breivik, and that they have not found any ties to ISIS.
The Munich shooting was considered an active shooter incident for several hours, as German police launched an extensive manhunt, as reports came in that the shooter had killed himself. The number of people killed and the number of gunmen varied during the immediate aftermath of the shooting but has grown to 10 dead.
1. The Shooter Was ‘Depressed’ & ‘Deranged’ & Had a Book About School Shootings, Police say
As was seen during the Nice, France terrorist attack at a Bastille Day celebration, the Munich attack was captured in fragmented citizen videos and photos that were immediately disseminated via social media, including Twitter and YouTube. One of the most disturbing videos appeared to show the gunman shooting at people outside the McDonald’s.
In that video, the gunman points a weapon and fires as terrified people flee. Police used a robot to inspect the gunman’s body. Der Spiegel said the gunman was previously unknown to police.
Other videos show police tending to victims. (Warning: Graphic)
2. The Shooter Lived With His Parents, Was a ‘Quiet Type’ & May Have Shouted ‘I am German’ On an Unverified Citizen Video
Other attacks – such as the one in Nice and last fall in Paris, France – were perpetrated by Muslim suspects who may have at least been influenced by ISIS. However, in the Munich attack, early media reports indicated it was possible that the gunman had a different motive: He might have been targeting foreigners. This remained unclear as the manhunt continued.
One video circulating on social media appeared to show a gunman in a shouting match with bystanders. At one point, the gunman appears to say, “Ich bin Deutscher” or “I am German.” July 22 is the anniversary of Anders Breivik’s killing spree in Norway in 2011, fueling speculation of a right-wing attack. However, Munich police later revealed that the gunman was 18, German-American, and with no police record. In a rooftop video captured by a civilian, he shouts that he was born in Germany and says that he lived in the Turkish area of a town, was bullied, and received media treatment, according to translations of the video on Reddit and CNN.
The Mirror says that the gunman may have shouted “f***ing foreigners” before opening fire. According to The Mirror: “Taxi driver says #Munich shooter “was not foreign”
Reddit has posted a translation of the video. The translation quotes the gunman as also saying, “I grew up here in the Hartz 4 (unemployment benefits in Germany) area” and Shooter: “Yeah what, I was born here!” The bystander then insults the shooter repeatedly, according to the translation.
3. An Eyewitness Says The Gunman Shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ Before Shooting Children & Her Son Saw a Gunman Loading His Weapon in The Bathroom
CNN reported woman named Lauretta told CNN she was in the McDonald’s near the mall when a gun emerged from the bathroom and started shooting. She told CNN’s Dugald McConnell: “I come out of the toilet and I hear like an alarm, boom, boom, boom. He’s killing the children (…) The children were sitting to eat. They can’t run.” The man yelled “Allahu akbar!” she said.
Another witness, identified as Murat T saw “lifeless bodies” in the restaurant when he went to look for a friend of his son, said The Daily Mail. Daily Mail said the son “heard gunshots while on the phone to his friend, before the call cut out. He said: ‘We no longer reach him. Not even his parents. He is like my brother.'”
4. The Gunman Was the Son of a Taxi Driver & May Have Used a Fake Girl’s Name to Lure Children to McDonald’s
News reports said the shooting began in the mall. The gunman then moved across the street to a nearby McDonald’s. There were also reports of other shooting scenes throughout the city. CNN said that Munich was in “virtual lockdown.”
According to the Daily Mail, Chief of Munich Police Marcus Dagloria Martins said the police were interviewing at least 100 witnesses and said: “We are at the moment after three attackers…Our priority is to catch the attackers at this stage and then we will inform you again.”
5. Sonboly Was Interested in Mass Shooters & Had First-Person Shooting Games on His Computer
MUNICH,
GERMANY – JULY 22: Police officers guard with guns as other officers
escort people from inside the shopping center as they respond to a
shooting at the Olympia Einkaufzentrum (OEZ) at July 22, 2016 in Munich,
Germany. According to reports, several people have been killed and an
unknown number injured in a shooting at a shopping centre in the
north-western Moosach district in Munich. Police are hunting the
attacker or attackers who are thought to be still at large. (Photo by
Joerg Koch/Getty Images)
The number of people killed kept growing in the hours after the Munich shootings. First media reports said one person had died, then several, then three, and then six. There were also people injured in the attack. The death toll now stands at 10 with many others injured.
The shooting occurred at a mall that is adjacent to the site of the 1972 Olympics, said CNN, quoting police as saying: “The manhunt is underway at high speed. Because of the unclear situation we ask all people in the city area to stay at home or to look for protection in any nearby building. The operation of public transportation service has been stopped
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