Merkel condemns far right after attack

Nine dead in shootings by racist extremist

BERLIN • German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday condemned the “poison” of racism in the country after a gunman, apparently fuelled by extremist-right wing views and conspiracy theories, killed nine people in two hookah bars.

The attack in the town of Hanau, about 24 kilometres east of Frankfurt on Wednesday night, left Germany reeling as it grapples with a farright resurgence. It marked the deadliest mass shooting in the country since a gunman killed nine people in Munich in 2016.

In a televised speech, Merkel said that while it was too early for a final assessment of the shooting, there were many indications that the perpetrator acted with rightwing extremist, racist motives.

“Racism is a poison; hate is a poison,” Merkel said. “This poison exists in our society, and it’s to blame for too many tragic events.”

The shooting sites appeared to have been targeted because of their clientele. The two establishments, where people gather to smoke waterpipes, also known as hookahs, are popular with patrons of Middle Eastern origin.

Of the people killed, five held Turkish citizenship, Turkey’s state news agency Anadolu reported, citing Ankara’s ambassador to Berlin. Prosecutors said the victims included German and foreign nationals between the ages of 21 and 44.

The Hanau attack followed several violent incidents with links to the far-right over the past year. In June, a politician known as a supporter of asylum seekers was shot dead. In October, a shooter tried to attack a synagogue in Halle on Yom Kippur, turning his weapon on passersby and a kebab shop after he failed to gain entry. He killed two people.

German authorities said they have stepped up their monitoring of far-right groups. Last week, police raids resulted in the arrest of 12 members of a far-right group planning attacks on mosques and targets associated with refugees and asylum seekers. The foiled plots seemed to draw inspiration from last year’s mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, that killed more than 50 people. But German security officials say lonewolf attackers are challenging to track and are often unknown until too late.

The suspect in Wednesday’s shooting was identified as Tobias Rathjen, 43.

Not long after the attacks, authorities said the suspect was found dead in his home alongside his 72-year-old mother.

Authorities said they were investigating whether Rathjen had ties to any organized groups, but police said they were not searching for further suspects.