German officials believe that the gunman who committed two shootings in Hanau City in West Germany on Wednesday, Feb. 19, acted out of racism, according to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Officials gathering information and evidence said that the suspect, identified as Tobias Rathjen, a 43-year-old German citizen, had allegedly posted a video before the murders. The BBC indicated, the suspect displayed “right-wing conspiracy theories” in both the video as well as in a confession letter that he left behind, indicating that a racist motive was involved.
Also, officials are looking into a website attributed to the suspect. According to Hesse Interior Minister Peter Beuth, “while the indication of a racist motive is there … whether there are claims of responsibility or documents—that’s still being investigated.”
The news outlet reported that there was growing concern regarding attacks like these.
In response to the killings, and amidst the concern regarding right-wing extremist attacks like the one on Wednesday, Merkel stated, “Racism is a poison; hate is a poison. This poison exists in our society, and it is to blame for too many tragic events.”
Merkel offered her condolences to the friends and family of the victims of Wednesday’s attack, saying, “The deep pain felt by people in Hanau today over the violent deaths of so many fellow citizens is a pain I also feel personally, and a pain felt across the country. My thoughts are first and foremost with the families and friends of those murdered.”
This marked one of the deadliest shootings in Germany since a mass killing in Munich in 2016, in which nine people died, according to Washington Post.
Shooting Incident
In an earlier report, the shooting on Wednesday resulted in the death of nine individuals and five injured in Hanau city, located just 15 miles away from Frankfurt. The suspect entered a shisha bar and opened fire. Witnesses recalled hearing around eight to nine shots fired.
Following that initial attack, the suspect drove to another location—the city’s Kessselstadt neighborhood and opened fire in another shisha bar. He escaped again after the second shooting.
Fox News reported that all of the victims of the Wednesday shooting were, reportedly, of Kurdish descent.
Police quickly responded to both scenes, giving medical attention to the injured and assessing the situation. Authorities also sealed off the areas where the crime occurred,
Not far from the scene of the second shooting, officers found the bodies of the Tobias Rathjen, the individual who authorities believed to be the suspect, along with his mother, both dead. Washington Post also reported that Rathjen’s father was found outside his home, unharmed.