Gunman opens fire near synagogue in Germany; 2 dead, several injured

At least two persons died after a gunman reportedly opened fire on Wednesday afternoon in Germany, Halle Police said in a tweet. According to reports, multiple other people were also injured in the shooting incident that is believed to have happened outside a synagogue in the area of Halle. Besides the synagogue, a Turkish restaurant was also the target of the attack. ​According to reports, a grenade was also thrown at Jewish cemetery.

According to some reports, the perpetrator was live-streaming the attack on Twitch where prior to the shooting he says the "root of all problems are the Jews"

The suspected assailant of the Halle shooting also hijacked a car, according to a statement by the mayor of Landsberg.

The operation was taken over by the German Federal anti-terrorism prosecutors. One person was arrested by the police. It was not clear yet if the detained person was the perpetrator or not. Several shots were fired and the suspected assailant then fled in a car, police said in a tweet. The people in the area were asked to stay in their apartments as the police are on the lookout for the perpetrator.

Deutsche Bahn closed the train station in Halle due to the shooting incident at the city synagogue, the company said on Twitter. "Halle Station is closed due to investigative activities," said Deutsche Bahn.

The shooting occured during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish tradition.

"We have a deployment in Halle," the local police said initially on Twitter. "According to preliminary findings, people killed. We are conducting urgent searches. Perpetrator on the run. Please stay at home or look for another secure place."

There was no information immediately available about the extent of the injuries.

Another shooting incident was reported in the German town of Landsberg within less than an hour after the Halle shooting. There were no reports immediately available about the injuries or casualties in the Landsberg incident.

Nach ersten Erkenntnissen wurden zwei Personen in #Halle getötet. Es fielen mehrere Schüsse. Die mutmaßlichen Täter sind mit einem Fahrzeug flüchtig. Wir fahnden mit Hochdruck und bitten die Bevölkerung in ihren Wohnungen zu bleiben. #hal0910

— Polizei Halle (Saale) (@Polizei_HAL) October 9, 2019