Germany Stadium shooting: 5 dead after youth center shooting, 2 arrested | Today’s news

Five people died and two people were arrested after a shooting in the northern German city of Stade, AFP reported. Police said the operation is ongoing while the motive behind the incident remains under investigation.

According to local media, the mass shooting happened at a youth center in the center of Stade, a city of around 50,000 people west of Hamburg.

Police, via social media, urged civilians to avoid the area until the operation began. “A police operation is currently underway in Stade. Avoid this area!” the police said in a post on X.

Local media footage showed a heavy police presence and several ambulances lining a cobbled street in Stade, while helicopters circled over the area.

Investigators have not released any details about the circumstances of the shooting as emergency services remain at the scene, Euronews reported.

Authorities have not yet released further details regarding the identity of the victims, the injured or a possible motive for the shooting.

Police said more information will be released as the investigation progresses.

Germany has some of the strictest gun control laws in Europe. Anyone under the age of 25 must undergo a psychiatric evaluation before applying for a gun license. As a result, mass shootings are relatively uncommon in the country, although such incidents have occurred on several occasions.

In February 2020, a far-right extremist killed nine people and injured five others in the central German city of Hanau.

In March 2023, a former member of Jehovah’s Witnesses shot and killed six people at a congregation in Hamburg before taking his own life.

In May 2022, a 21-year-old gunman opened fire at a high school in northern Germany, seriously injuring a female employee before being arrested.