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Hanau shooting: Suspect found dead in home alongside mother after nine people killed in 'far-right attack'

The man suspected of killing nine people in two separate shootings in the German city of Hanau has been found dead at his home alongside his mother.

Nine people were killed and five wounded in the shootings in and outside two hookah lounges on Wednesday evening.

Police gave no details of the suspected 43-year-old gunman, who is believed to have held far-right views, but said "there are currently no indications of further perpetrators”.

Witnesses and surveillance videos of the suspect's getaway car led authorities to his home, near the scene of the second attack, where he was found dead near his 72-year-old mother, said Peter Beuth, the interior minister for the state of Hesse.

A police officer stands guard near the scene in front of a restaurant after a shooting in central Hanau, Germany Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. Eight people were killed in shootings in the German city of Hanau on Wednesday evening, authorities said.  (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)
A police officer stands guard near the scene of a shooting in central Hanau, Germany (AP)
(L-R) German Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht, German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, Hesse's State Premier Volker Bouffier and Hesse state Interior Minister Peter Beuth arrive to lay flowers in the area of the bar targeted in a shooting at the Heumarkt in the centre of Hanau, near Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on February 20, 2020, after at least nine people were killed in two shootings late on February 19, 2020. - The suspect in two shootings in Germany that killed at least nine people was found dead at home, police said on February 20, 2020. At least nine people were killed in two shootings late on February 19 in Hanau, near the German city of Frankfurt. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP) (Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)
German politicians lay wreaths at the site of one of the shootings in central Hanau (AFP via Getty Images)
HANAU, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 20: This undated video screen grab shows suspect Tobias Rathjen, 43, taken from an account purportedly belonging to the suspect which has now been removed from the site, on February 20, 2020 in Hanau, Germany. A total of 11 people are confirmed dead after the attacker reportedly shot nine people dead starting around 10pm in two different shisha bars in Hanau. Police later discovered the suspected shooter and another person dead in the suspect's apartment. (Photo by Getty Images)
A video screen grab shows shooting suspect 'Tobias R' taken from an account purportedly belonging to him (Getty)

Federal prosecutors said they were taking charge of the investigation amid reports that an online video linked to the suspect indicated he may have had a far-right motive.

"Initial analysis of the webpage of the suspect indicate a xenophobic motivation," Mr Beuth said.

He said federal prosecutors have taken over the investigation of the crime and are treating it as an act of domestic terrorism.

"This is an attack on our free and peaceful society," he added.

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Officers sealed off and searched an apartment in the city’s Kesselstadt district, near the scene of one of the shootings, after following up witness statements on a getaway car.

Some of the victims are believed to be Turkish, and Turkey's foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the consulate in Frankfurt and the embassy in Berlin are trying to obtain information on the attack.

The location of the shooting in Germany. (PA)
The location of the shooting in Germany. (PA)
Forenses investigan la escena de un tiroteo en Hanau, Alemania, el 20 de febrero de 2020. (AP Foto/Michael Probst)
Forensic investigators inspect the scene of the shooting. (AP)
A bullet lies on the sidewalk near a restaurant at the scene of a shooting in central Hanau, Germany Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. Eight people were killed in shootings in the German city of Hanau on Wednesday evening, authorities said. (Andreas Arnold/dpa via AP)
A bullet lies on the pavement near a restaurant at the scene of a shooting in central Hanau. (AP)

Bild have named the suspect as 'Tobias R' and say he left behind a video and a letter referring to the “extermination of certain peoples”, but these claims have so far not been verified.

German news agency dpa also reported that investigators are examining a video the suspect may have posted online several days earlier in which he detailed a conspiracy theory about child abuse in the US.

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Police had earlier said a dark vehicle was seen leaving the location of the first attack and another shooting was reported at a scene about a mile away.

Officers swarmed central Hanau, cordoning off the area of one of the shootings as a helicopter hovered overhead. A car covered in thermal foil also could be seen, with shattered glass next to it. Forensic experts in white overalls collected evidence.

A special forces officer guards the road in front of a house that is searched through by police in Hanau, Germany Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. Eight people were killed in shootings in and outside two hookah lounges in a southwestern German city late Wednesday, and authorities were searching for the perpetrators. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A special forces officer guards the road in front of a house that is searched through by police (AP)
Police guard the scenery in front of a restaurant in central Hanau, Germany Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. German police say several people were shot to death in the city of Hanau on Wednesday evening. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Police guard the scenery in front of a restaurant in central Hanau (AP)
A police officer stands guard in front of a gambling hall near the scene after a shooting in central Hanau, Germany Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. Eight people were killed in shootings in the German city of Hanau on Wednesday evening, authorities said. (Andreas Arnold/dpa via AP)
A police officer stands guard in front of a gambling hall near the scene after the shooting (AP)

Can-Luca Frisenna, whose father runs a local shop, said he rushed to the scene after receiving a phone call saying his father and brother may have been caught up in the shooting.

He told Reuters: "But then I saw them both – they were horrified and they were crying and everything.

"It is like being in a film, it's like a bad joke, that someone is playing a joke on us. I can't grasp yet everything that has happened.

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"My colleagues, all my colleagues, they are like my family, they can't understand it either, but I hope that there is a hope that god is with them."

The attack comes amid growing concerns about far-right violence in Germany.

Chancellor Angela Merkel called off a planned visit on Thursday to a university in Halle. Her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said she was "being constantly kept abreast of the state of the investigations in Hanau".

Seibert added on Twitter: “Thoughts this morning are with the people of Hanau, in whose midst this terrible crime was committed.

20 February 2020, Hessen, Hanau: The area around the crime scene at Heumarkt is cordoned off with flutter tape. Several people have been killed by gunshots in Hanau, Hesse. Photo: Boris Roessler/dpa (Photo by Boris Roessler/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The area around the crime scene at Heumarkt is cordoned off (Getty)
A special forces officer works on a robot in front of a house that is searched through by police in Hanau, Germany Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. Eight people were killed in shootings in and outside two hookah lounges in a southwestern German city late Wednesday, and authorities were searching for the perpetrators. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A special forces officer with a robot used in the search of a house in Hanau (AP)

"Deep sympathy for the affected families, who are grieving for their dead. We hope with those wounded that they will soon recover."

Hanau mayor Claus Kaminsky added: "This was a terrible evening that will certainly occupy us for a long, long time and we will remember with sadness.”

Hookah lounges are places where people gather to smoke flavoured tobacco from Middle Eastern water pipes.