An 18-year-old biology student perpetrated the attack on the grounds of Heidelberg University. The man who opened fire in a lecture hall at the university acted alone, he had never been punished in Germany before, said Thomas Strobl, the head of the German Interior Ministry.
Two fatalities, three injured – this is the result of the Monday attack by a man who fired a firearm at the University of Heidelberg (Baden-Württemberg). The perpetrator shot himself after the attack.
The perpetrator of the shooting was an 18-year-old biology student, Thomas Strobl, the head of the Ministry of the Interior of Baden-Württemberg, announced on Monday evening at a press conference. The man who opened fire in a lecture hall at the university was alone. “He has never had a criminal record in Germany before,” added Strobl.
An 18-year-old biology student perpetrated a shootout at Heidelberg UniversityRONALD WITTEK / PAP / EPA
The minister also confirmed that the young woman, who was one of the four injured in the attack, had died several hours later as a result of injuries, including a shot to the head.
Police rule out religious or political motives for the attack
“The attacker was in possession of two firearms during the attack which he had bought abroad,” added Mannheim Police Chief Siegfried Kollmar. For the sake of the investigation, he did not want to disclose the country in which the perpetrator of the shooting bought the gun.
“Police have already searched the home of the perpetrator of the shooting in Mannheim, but it is too early to discover the motive of the attack,” said Andreas Herrgen, head of the prosecution service in Heidelberg. From the outset, however, the police ruled out religious or political motives. “Mental or psychological problems seem more likely,” added Herrgen.
Main photo source: RONALD WITTEK / PAP / EPA