Copenhagen, (HargeisaPress) — Three Somali men were wounded in a shooting at a mosque after a gunman clad in all black burst into a prayer hall and gunned down unsuspecting worshippers before fleeing, according to police and witnesses.
Ambulance and police descended on the busy Zurich street and transported the victims to hospital while launching a manhunt for the shooter.
“The unknown person fired several shots and fled from the building,” police spokesman Marco Bisa told reporters near the mosque, which was cordoned off by police. “The shooting took place inside a prayer room with several people in it. Two victims were severely injured.”
He also added that the hospitalized where aged 30, 35 and 36.
Among those wounded was the Islamic Centre’s Imam, Sheikh Mustafa Ali Khalif. He along with the other 2 victims remain in serious condition.
The Islamic Centre on Eisgasse has been at its present location since 2012. It is frequented by a large number of Somali immigrants but is also host to Eritrean and North African worshippers. At the time of the shooting, there were a dozen congregates who were there for Maghrib prayers.
Body found beneath a bridge
Witnesses on the scene described the shooter as a man in his 30’s, dressed in all black complete with a black wool cap, and fleeing on foot towards Zurich Central Station immediately after the attack.
Not long after the shooting, police were investigating a dead body that was discovered beneath the Gessner Bridge located just 300m from the Islamic Centre.
An AFP photo shows what appears to be a lifeless body with a handgun on the floor next to it. The wall surrounding the body is blood-stained. A scene that suggests the body found was a suicide victim.
A photo taken from another angle does show that the individual who was found under the bridge was coincidentally wearing all dark attire as well.
A brightly lit tent was visible where the body the was found, obscuring the crime scene from curious onlookers. Police had blocked off an alleyway close to the Islamic Centre as well. It was not initially clear whether the dead person was the perpetrator, as speculated by journalists and witnesses on the scene.
UPDATE: Gunman found dead
The man who shot and wounded 3 Somali Men at a Zurich mosque on Monday is dead, according to a police statement released Tuesday morning. Police confirmed that the body found by the nearby Gessner Bridge to be the shooter. He died of gunshot wounds.
“The dead man found around 300 meters (yards) from the scene of the crime after the shooting in the mosque is the suspect,” a statement on a police website said.
Zurich cantonal police said authorities had identified the suspect but gave no details except for his age saying that he is around 30 years old. A news conference is scheduled for 1300 GMT.
Police had previously refused to comment on whether the body found beneath the bridge was linked to the Islamic Centre shooting.
Hiiraan Online
Tuesday, December 20, 2016