Six people are dead and several others injured following a violent incident at a mother-child centre in the German city of Munich on Tuesday morning. Police have confirmed that the attacker, a 24-year-old German national, was shot and killed by officers after a brief pursuit. The motive remains unclear, though authorities have stated there is no evidence of a terrorist link.
The centre, a residential facility for mothers and their children, was targeted at approximately 9:15 am local time. Witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots before the assailant fled the scene on foot. He was intercepted by police several blocks away and was fatally shot after failing to comply with orders.
Germany’s interior minister, Nancy Faeser, described the attack as “a brutal and incomprehensible act of violence” and offered condolences to the victims’ families. The federal prosecutor’s office has taken over the investigation, citing the “extraordinary seriousness” of the case.
In a separate development, the British government has deployed a team of mental health experts to assist local authorities in supporting survivors and the wider community. The team, drawn from the NHS’s national trauma response unit, will provide psychological first aid and counselling services. A Foreign Office spokesman said the deployment was made at the request of German officials and reflects the close cooperation between the two countries on public health matters.
The incident has reignited debate in Germany about gun control and mental health support. Germany has some of the strictest gun laws in Europe, but access to weapons remains a concern in cases of mental illness. The attacker was not known to intelligence services but had a history of psychiatric treatment, according to sources familiar with the investigation.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz will address the nation later today. Flags on government buildings will fly at half-mast. The attack is the deadliest in Germany since a gunman killed nine people in Hanau in 2020.
The British team is expected to remain in Munich for at least two weeks. Their deployment marks a rare instance of direct British involvement in the aftermath of a domestic German tragedy, highlighting the deepening health cooperation between the two nations since Brexit.
