Facebook activates Safety Check in Munich amid ongoing shooting situation
UPDATED July 22 3:52 p.m. PT
Facebook activated its Safety Check on Friday as an ongoing operation enveloped the streets of central Munich.
Amid reports of three men with firearms on the loose, the city's underground network was shut down, heavily armed police patrolled the streets and authorities warned people to steer clear of public places.
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Police said eight people were killed and at least 10 people were hospitalized. Munich police spokesman Marcus Martins said a ninth body had been found and police were "intensively examining" whether it might be one of the suspects.
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The attack reportedly started at around 6 p.m. local time. Early reports on social media included a video that circulated online of a man shooting at random people outside a McDonalds in the city.
Police asked people to refrain from sharing photos or video from the scene as they attempted to track down the perpetrators.
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Facebook Live video taken from above a shopping mall showed a heavy police presence and an evacuation.
Taxi drivers, meanwhile, were reportedly asked to not pick people up from the Karlsplatz square in the city.
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A heavily police presence was seen across the city as authorities hunted for the perpetrators over the course of the evening.
During Friday night the hashtag #offenetür - or #opendoors - starting showing on Twitter as residents offered their homes to anyone affected.
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The attack is the second in Germany in less than a week. On Monday, a 17-year-old Afghan wounded four people in an ax-and-knife attack on a regional train near the Bavarian city of Wuerzburg, and another woman outside as he fled. All survived, although one man from the train remains in life-threatening condition. The attacker was shot and killed by police.
UPDATED
July 22 2:17 p.m. PT with death toll
July 22 3:53 p.m. PT with injured count and police chief comments
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
Topics Facebook
Tim Chester was Senior Editor, Real Time News in Los Angeles. Before that he was Deputy Editor of Mashable UK in London. Prior to joining Mashable, Tim was a Senior Web Editor at Penguin Random House, helping to relaunch the Rough Guides website and other travel brands. He was also a writer for Buzzfeed, GQ and The Sunday Times, covering everything from culture to tech and current affairs. Before that, he was Deputy Editor at NME.COM, overseeing content and development on the London-based music and entertainment site. Tim loves music and travel and has combined these two passions at festivals from Iceland to Malawi and beyond.
