Eleven dead after gunshots in Hanau: SPD politicians attack AfD - "Foreign citizens will ..."

In Hanau (Hessen) there was a bloody attack on Wednesday evening. Eleven people are dead. Numerous politicians comment.

• A man committed a terrible bloody deed in Hanau (Hesse), killing nine people. The alleged perpetrator and his mother are also dead.
• The federal prosecutor apparently suspects a terrorist act of violence.
• Numerous politicians are horrified - Chancellor Angela Merkel and Interior Minister Horst Seehofer cancel appointments.

>>> Update ticker <<<

6:33 am: The feelings and concerns of the victims of racially motivated violence, according to the SPD domestic politician Helge Lindh, are given far too little attention in Germany. With regard to the recent attacks by right-wing conspiracy theorists , the member of the Bundestag of the German Press Agency said: "Anyone who talks about Hanau and Halle should not remain silent about the permanent exclusion and paternalism of the victim groups in recent years."

Because verbal and physical terror is not directed against "democracy" in the abstract, but especially against Muslims, Jews, people of Turkish, Kurdish and Arab origin. These would be made an enemy and a "hate object". "As long as we don't see with the eyes of the victims, we haven't understood anything," said Lindh.

6.25 a.m .: One of the fatalities of the allegedly racially motivated attack in Hanau comes from Romania . Romanian President Klaus Iohannis confirmed this on Friday night on Twitter. Iohannis, who was in Brussels because of the multi-day EU summit, wrote that he was shocked to learn of the death of a Romanian citizen. According to Romanian media reports, the victim is a 23-year-old man.

"Human dignity is taken away from foreign citizens": SPD politician with violent accusation to Hanau

6.15 a.m .: After the allegedly radical right-wing and racist attack in Hanau, Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Boris Pistorius gives the AfD a complicity in the increase in right-wing violence .

"Of course there is a direct connection between the strengthening of the AfD and the increase in right-wing violence," said Pistorius of the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung" (Friday). “Foreign citizens are denied human dignity. This is so dangerous because it only makes some people take action. Here, fatal disinhibition has gotten underway and the AfD is partly to blame for it, ”said the

SPD

-Politician.

With the AfD, a party sits in the parliaments "that verbally crosses all borders," said Pistorius. And networks formed on the streets and underground that prepared civil war-like situations and would kill people. "Both aim to destabilize society and the state and to undermine democracy - some by parliament and others by force."

Update from February 21, 6:05 a.m .:

As a consequence of the apparently racially motivated attack in Hanau, the deputy

Union faction leader Thorsten Frei

Advanced

powers

for the

Constitutional protection

required. The office must be given more opportunities to monitor communication between individuals, the CDU politician told the newspaper "Die Welt" (Friday edition). So far it has been very difficult for the security authorities, one

radicalization

to recognize that takes place silently and outside of a group context.

Frei specifically called for expanded competencies for the protection of the constitution, including in the case of so-called source telecommunications surveillance. This is the access to electronic communication before it is encrypted by default, or its subsequent decryption. The CDU politician also demanded expanded options for so-called online searches, i.e. penetration into computers or smartphones using hidden software.

Frei also announced that his parliamentary group wanted to "examine very closely" a possible further tightening of arms law . The aim is to create "more security in the country" without, however, burdening sports shooters and hunters with unnecessary bureaucracy.

Hanau: Eyewitness reports of assassination attempt - "The one below me had a hole in the throat"

9.45 p.m .: A video circulating on Twitter on Thursday should apparently show that several neo-Nazis are trying to penetrate downtown Hanau . However, these events have not yet been confirmed by the police and have now turned out to be false reports. The police also announced this on Twitter. "Messages / videos about mass fights and marches of various groups of people, including those from the right spectrum, are circulating in the city center of #Hanau," writes the police of Southeast Hesse. “We cannot confirm this. According to the current status, it is Fakenews! "

Important note: Messages / videos about mass fights and marches of various groups of people, including those from the right spectrum, are circulating in the city center of #Hanau. We cannot confirm this. According to the current status it is Fakenews!

Hanau: Eyewitness reports of assassination attempt - "The one below me had a hole in the throat"

9:16 pm: A wounded eyewitness told about the terrible scenes of the attack in Hanau in a video on Bild.de. The young man was a guest on Wednesday evening in one of the venues that was the scene of the atrocities of 43-year-old Tobias R. The eyewitness had just eaten with his friends when shots were heard from outside . "Easy five, six pieces," says the man. "But we didn't think of anything. “He and his friends suspected Böller or a firearm. But suddenly the witness saw a man with a gun in his hand. "He ran into the kiosk and killed everyone," says the eyewitness. "Then he came over to us and shot the first one he saw in the head. “The witness fell on a friend, everyone suddenly fell over.

Like the owner of the premises, the young man also speaks of a "bloodbath" . "Like in a movie," added the witness. "The one below me had a hole in his throat." But this wounded man was still alive and talking to him at first. "I even closed the hole," says the eyewitness. A short time later, however, his acquaintance said that he no longer felt his tongue and was unable to breathe. "And then it was over," says the eyewitness in a brittle voice. He was shot on the shoulder during the attack and is currently being treated in a hospital in Hanau.

Hanau: Focal point for the attack in the first - Bouffier demands to counter hate and agitation

8:34 p.m .: At the attack in Hanau, the first broadcast a focus program on Thursday evening. Among other things, the focus was placed on the fact that numerous right-wing extremist acts have been committed in Hessen in recent years . For example, the program mentioned a handful of right-wing extremist acts - including the NSU murders, NSU2.0 and the Lübcke murder. All of them occurred within the past 14 years. "Again and again Hessen" it said in the program. When ARD presenter Hesse's Prime Minister Volker Bouffier asked in a conversation recorded before the show why the state had such a problem with right-wing extremism, Bouffier replied: "I don't think we have a particular problem with right-wing extremism." Events in Thuringia, he said that the problem exists throughout Germany . Bouffier also spoke of a "day of horror", a "day of tremors" and urged with determination to face the climate of hatred and agitation .

In addition to numerous vigils and commemorative events throughout Germany, the Eintracht game also called for a minute's silence for the victims of Hanau. But there was a disturbance.

Volker Bouffier (l.) And Horst Seehofer visited the crime scenes in Hanau.

© dpa / Boris Roessler

7.47 pm: In a special program , ZDF reported on the allegedly racially motivated attack in Hanau . Part of the program was a conversation with Hesse's Prime Minister Volker Bouffier , who expressed his condolences to the relatives and also emphasized that he wanted to act more sharply against right-wing extremist activities, and above all the radicalization in social networks . In addition, the ZDF journalist Lars Bohnsack reported on the trail of right-wing terror that has run through Germany in recent years. Among other things, the NSU murders were mentioned , the activities of the Freital group in 2015 and attacks on asylum seekers' homes in 2017 . In 2018, right-wing extremists attacked foreigners in Chemnitz ; in 2019, the CDU politician Walter Lübcke was murdered by a right-wing extremist, the ZDF reported.

Hanau: The owner of the bars is shocked by the attack - he came to the scene shortly afterwards

Just last week, 12 members of a right-wing terrorist cell , “Group S.”, were arrested . The aim is to have caused chaos and to kill politicians and Muslims . And now there was another allegedly racially motivated act: the attack in Hanau. The nephew of a person killed on Wednesday evening also had his say on the ZDF program. " They were innocent people, " he said, visibly shaken. The owner of the bars where the atrocities occurred was also shocked on the show. He was not present at the time of the crime, but was informed immediately and came to the scene a short time later. "It was a bloodbath," said the witness. "My nephew was inside, my co-worker was inside - everyone was dead."

7:21 p.m .: Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called on the citizens to stick together and be considerate of each other after the allegedly right-wing motivated attack in Hanau . "Today is the hour when we have to show that we stand together as a society, we do not allow ourselves to be intimidated, we do not diverge," said Steinmeier at a funeral service in Hanau. He described the attack as a "terrorist act" and went on to explain: "It does mean terror: spreading terror through violence and death, making people afraid to disperse us." The Federal President also emphasized: " We stand together, we stand together , we want to live together. “Steinmeier also spoke about the relatives of the victims in his speech on Thursday evening. Nothing could relieve the relatives of the pain of lost loved ones. " Nothing can explain this senseless act , and nothing will be able to undo it." What happened in Hanau made stunned, sad and angry.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier at a memorial event after the act of horror in Hanau.

© dpa / Uwe Anspach

Hanau: Jan Böhmermann also comments on right-wing radicalism after the act of terror

18:57: Jan Böhmermann has also commented on right-wing radicalism after the bloody deed in Hanau . Although he does not explicitly name the allegedly racially motivated attack on Wednesday evening, he calls in a tweet to name the “key words”. Exactly what he means by this: The satirist and moderator explains all new rights platforms whose business model is based on agitation and false claims. Then he becomes even more explicit: "From Roland Tichy to Henryk M. Broder to right-wing radical blogs, " Böhmermann writes on Twitter.

We have to name the key word, all these new-right platforms whose business model is based on agitation and false claims - from Roland Tichy to Henryk M. Broder to clearly right-wing radical blogs.

18:28: The deputy SPD federal chairman Hubertus Heil called the AfD on Thursday after the alleged racist attack in Hanau as "arsonist" . "We have to show more harshness against right in Germany," said the Federal Minister of Labor on the sidelines of a memorial event for the victims of the terror act on the Hamburg town hall market. He further said that the fact that the AfD group had not stood there together with the other parties represented in the citizenship spoke for itself. "These are intellectual arsonists," Heil criticized the representatives of the right-wing populist party. "I experience these hate speeches in the German Bundestag , and there is something like that in Hamburg too."

Hanau: Frank-Walter Steinmeier commemorates the victims of the attack at a market vigil

5.41 p.m .: Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also arrived in Hanau on Thursday afternoon. With his wife Elke Büdenbender, he wants to commemorate the victims. First of all, Steinmeier wants to visit the crime scenes with Hesse's Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) and Hanaus Mayor Claus Kaminsky (SPD) and talk to citizens there. After that, participation in the vigil on the town's market square is planned. The vigil should start there at 6 p.m. The Federal President also wants to speak memorial words there.

A vigil should take place on Thursday evening not only in Hanau, but also at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin . The Berlin vigil is scheduled for 6 p.m. The Green politicians Annalena Baerbock and Claudia Roth , FDP boss Christian Lindner , CDU general secretary Paul Ziemiak , his SPD colleague Lars Klingbeil and SPD boss Saskia Esken have announced their participation. "We have to send a signal together and make it clear that we are not leaving our country to the agitators and right-wing terrorists," Klingbeil said in advance. "All Democrats must now stand together to send a signal against hatred, xenophobia and violence," wrote FDP leader Christian Lindner in advance. In addition to Berlin and Hanau, vigils are also planned in numerous other German cities.

Later on Thursday evening, ZDF also broadcasts a special edition of the Maybrit Illner TV talk show on the occasion of the events in Hanau. The topic of the program with a view to the recent events: "Attack in Hanau: Right Terror Out of Control?"

Hanau: Special meeting of the Bundestag interior committee planned for the coming week

4.47 p.m .: The Bundestag interior committee plans to deal with the Hanau attack on Thursday next week . The AFP news agency reported in the afternoon, citing the office of committee chair Andrea Lindholz (CSU). On February 27, the secret service parliamentary control body (PKGr) also wants to deal with the attack, as the AFP learns from parliamentary circles.

Meanwhile, North Rhine-Westphalian Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) announced that there was no evidence of any connection between the allegedly racially motivated attack in Hanau and the right-wing terrorist cell that was shattered on Friday. There are also no references to relationships with other right-wing extremist networks, he said on Thursday. Reul was shocked by the events in Hanau late Wednesday evening. The attack "leaves me stunned," he said. Measured by the number of people killed, it was "one of the worst right-wing extremist acts in the history of the Federal Republic." The fact that it was apparently a lone offender "makes the act no less terrible."

15:53: Numerous politicians have meanwhile commented on the act of terror in Hanau . The Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has strongly condemned the racist attack. This was a "hideous right-wing terrorist attack," said Kurz on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. The incident shows that radical ideas in Europe must be resolutely countered. French President Emmanuel Macron also spoke about the events of the previous night in Brussels. When he first arrived at the meeting of heads of state and government, he spoke of his "moving thoughts about our German friends after the Hanau shootout" . In this "moment of mourning" France is in solidarity with Germany , said Macron. It is important to act against hatred and racism.

Hanau: Maly Dreyer and Ali Kemal Aydin speak of a “black day for Germany”

The Turkish Ambassador Ali Kemal Aydin and the Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Malu Dreyer found the same choice of words. Both speak in public of a “black day for Germany” . Aydin also told CNN Türk: “We suffer. It is really a black day for Germany. "

3:25 p.m .: During his visit to the crime scenes in Hanau, Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) held out the prospect of examining political consequences . Seehofer also said that further legislative changes may also be necessary. He finds it very worrying what has recently developed in the area of ​​right-wing extremism. The CSU politician also emphasized that the investigation is still ongoing, but that everything points to a “racist motive”. " Racism is a poison," said Seehofer. "A poison that causes confusion in the mind, that causes evil to emerge."

Together with the Federal Minister of the Interior, Federal Minister of Justice Christine Lambrecht (SPD) flew to Hanau on Thursday morning. She assured the relatives of those killed. “We will do everything we can to help in such a difficult situation. Such an act does not come out of nowhere, ”said Lambrecht. You can read a terrifying chronology of right-wing terror in Germany at Merkur.de *.

Hanau: Federal prosecutors want to clarify whether the suspect had any know-it-all or supporter

3:05 p.m .: The Federal Prosecutor's Office provides information on how to proceed in the Hanau case. It is important to clarify whether there were " supporters or supporters ", says the authority. Possible connections abroad should also be checked. According to the Federal Attorney General Peter Frank, the gunman from Hanau had a "deeply racist outlook". This has resulted in the evaluation of video messages and a kind of manifest on its website, he said.

3:00 p.m .: In response to the suspected right-wing extremist attack in Hanau, the Central Council of Muslims in Germany called on believers to protect themselves. "After yesterday's terror, I call on Muslims in Germany to be more vigilant and take additional protective measures for themselves, their families and places of worship and institutions," said Aiman ​​Mazyek , Chairman of the Central Council, on Thursday in Berlin.

For the upcoming Friday prayer, "Muslims in the churches in our country should pray for the victims and pray for security in our country," Mazyek said. "But you will also ask yourself the question of whether the protection of German Muslims is important to politics and the security authorities."

The suspected perpetrator of Hanau "may have been a lone perpetrator, but his murderous, racist ideology is by no means an isolated case," said the Central Council.

Hanau: Seehofer visits crime scenes - and promises “consequences”

2:44 pm: Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) is currently visiting the crime scenes in Hanau last night. In a statement to journalists, the CSU politician emphasized that one should also consider “what consequences we as politicians and legislators must take”.

Horst Seehofer and Volker Bouffier in Hanau.

© AFP / ODD ANDERSEN

In the evening he wanted to discuss with the state interior ministers how security in Germany could be better guaranteed. Large events and sensitive facilities are to be protected "even better". It was important "to stand up to the opponents of the free and democratic legal system with all determination," said Seehofer. The Minister of the Interior ordered flag of mourning on all public buildings in Germany.

The Prime Minister of Hesse Volker Bouffier (CDU), who also traveled with him, emphasized that it was "an attack on all of us". "We will do everything so that they do not have to be afraid, show that they belong to us," he said to people with a migration background in Germany.

2:41 pm: The Turkish-Islamic Union Ditib has condemned the allegedly right-wing radical and racist attack in Hanau as an attack on migrants and Muslims. The "Ditib Federal Association and the Hesse State Association" emphasized that the "emotional, emotional and social wound" after the deadly terror was serious. "It affects migrants, Muslims to the deepest point."

In recent years, it has become "increasingly unbearable" for the mosque communities in Germany, criticized the largest Islam association in Germany. In politics and society, "racist and anti-Muslim statements under the guise of freedom of expression have become tried and tested means of creating mood".

14:36: Unlike the carnival friends in Munich ( tz.de * reported) or the Hamburg SPD, the ZDF apparently does not want to deviate from a once-made plan because of the events in Hanau: the station's evening program provokes outrage.

To Hanau: Even Kemmerich breaks the silence

2.30 p.m .: After the allegedly racially motivated attack in Hanau , Thuringia's Prime Minister Thomas Kemmerich expressed his condolences. “We are horrified by the acts of violence that have taken place in Hanau. In our thoughts we are with the victims and their relatives, ”Kemmerich wrote on Thursday on Twitter. It is the first time that the FDP politician has spoken on the social network since February 8 - when he announced his immediate resignation, among other things.

Hanau: Lindner attacks Höcke - "hatred is stirred up"

14:12: FDP leader Christian Lindner currently sees Germany " at the center of extreme right-wing terrorism ". That was confirmed by the Hanau attack , Lindner said on Thursday in Berlin. As a consequence, he called for "a general inventory of all measures against right-wing terrorism" in Germany. "We cannot accept that people of any origin must be scared," he said.

The FDP chief also complained of a "social climate in Germany that encourages extreme right-wing acts of violence". Anyone who follows the speeches by AfD politician Björn Höcke can see this. "Hatred against strangers, but also against Democrats, is fueled," criticized Lindner. It is therefore now also a matter of "sending a clear signal to all those who do politics with xenophobia". There should be "no more".

1:48 pm: The Thuringian AfD country chief Björn Höcke has condemned the allegedly right-wing radical and racist violence by Hanau. "What kind of people are you doing this? The heinous murder of Hanau, in which ten people were suddenly killed, stunned us, ”said Höcke on Thursday, according to a statement by the AfD parliamentary group in the Thuringian state parliament. "We mourn with the bereaved. The madness seems to be spreading more and more in this country, ”Höcke continues.

The left-wing MP Katharina König-Preuss wrote: “Everyone is talking about the perpetrator, his name, his video, his letter of confession. Can you stop for a moment? Don't focus on the story of the perpetrator for a minute? Think about the victims, families, their stories? Perceive fear that many have? The issue? "

13:38: The bloody deed of Hanau also overshadows the end of the election campaign before the Hamburg elections: The SPD has canceled its final event and instead calls for a vigil for the victims of Hanau.

Hanau: Schäuble warns the Germans - "If we don't succeed, we'll be complicit"

1:18 p.m .: After the violent crime in Hanau, Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) has taken responsibility for all Germans. It is everyone's job to prevent "obviously racist acts", he warns. "Such insane acts do not happen in a vacuum," said Schäuble on Thursday, according to a message. "They grow in a poisoned social climate, where xenophobia and the most absurd conspiracy theories are noxiously fueled until minorities are perceived as a threat and discrimination turns into rampant hatred."

Not to bow to that, all responsibilities, politics and elected representatives are particularly responsible. Challenges, for example, should not be covered up. But, as was discussed, "determined to prevent such obviously racist acts". Schäuble made it clear: "If we don't succeed, we'll be complicit."

12.47 p.m .: The International Auschwitz Committee expressed its horror at the act of violence in Hanau, Hesse. Auschwitz survivors around the world would see the alleged murders as a new demonstration of the power of right-wing extremist hate , "which is becoming more commonplace and can occur anywhere," said Christoph Heubner, executive vice president of the committee, in Berlin on Thursday. "Everyone can take Auschwitz in their own hands today."

Individual terrorist offenders are well networked in the "virtual world of right-wing hatred" and see themselves as "borne" by parties like the AfD . They would show "how easy it has now become to execute people who think differently and who live differently". The state does not seem to be armed for this. Heubner advocated a "summit of democratic parties", at which the changed danger situation was discussed.

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier now wants to travel to Hanau because of the violence on Thursday afternoon. This was confirmed by the Federal President's Office.

Hanau and the consequences: Kramp-Karrenbauer insists on "firewall" to the AfD

12.32 p.m .: CDU boss Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer sees the act of violence by Hanau as evidence that the CDU and other parties are not allowed to work with the AfD .

She feels that her position is reinforced that there should be no cooperation with the party that “tolerates right-wing extremists, yes, I also say very deliberately Nazis, in its own ranks and that lays a foundation, also in the political discussion, for exactly this idea, ”said Kramp-Karrenbauer on Thursday in Paris. She referred to the CDU decision not to cooperate with the AfD. "How important it is to hold this firewall can be seen on a day like today."

Defense Minister Kramp-Karrenbauer in France

© dpa / Christophe Ena

You can see that there was an extreme right-wing motive and "that it is the poison to see yourself as something better, to make strangers out of your fellow citizens," said the German Defense Minister on the sidelines of her meeting with French minister Florence Parly. "This is a poison that is penetrating our society more and more and that can ultimately lead to these acts." It is now a matter of clarifying the background and "leading the political debate about what poison it is", which leads to that society produces "something".

After Hanau: Merkel expresses an urgent warning - "Racism is a poison"

12.20 p.m .: Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) said in a short statement that it was too early for a final assessment of Hanau's bloody deed . At the moment, however, there are many indications that the perpetrator acted for right-wing extremist and racist reasons . “Racism is a poison. Hate is a poison, ”emphasized Merkel, referring to the NSU's bloody deeds, the murder of Walter Lübcke and the Halle attack.

Angela Merkel's statement can be seen in a clip from BR24:

In connection with the violence committed by Hanau, SPD politician Michael Roth has meanwhile described the AfD as a political arm of right-wing terrorism . "The milieu of acts like in Hanau is ideologically nurtured by fascists like Höcke," wrote the Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office on Thursday with a view of Björn Höcke, head of the AfD in Thuringia. "Contempt for democracy, racism, anti-Semitism, anti-Gypsyism & Islamophobia fall on fertile ground." That is why he remains: "The AfD is the political arm of right-wing terrorism!"

The milieu of deeds like in Hanau is nourished ideologically by fascists like Höcke; contempt for democracy, racism, anti-Semitism, anti-Gypsyism & Islamophobia fall on fertile ground. That's why I stick to it: the #AfD is the political arm of right-wing terrorism!

In a follow-up tweet, Roth wrote about "the biggest test since National Socialism & RAF terrorism". He immediately called for all democratic forces to act together to make the free constitutional state more defensive "against its right-wing terrorist enemies".

Hanau: Central Council of Jews wants to act more sharply - police with "poor eyesight in the right eye"?

12:10 p.m .: After the apparently xenophobic motivated violence with eleven deaths in Hanau, the Central Council of Jews in Germany called for a more decisive action against right-wing extremism in Germany. "For too long, the threat of growing right-wing extremism has been downplayed and neglected," said

Central Council President Josef Schuster on Thursday. It can be assumed that "the perpetrator deliberately wanted to meet people with a migration background".

After the NSU's series of murders, "a right-wing extremist blood trail continues through Germany: the murder of the Kassel government president Walter Lübcke in June last year, the attack in Halle on Yom Kippur and now the murders in Hanau". This raises the "worrying question of how safely minorities and people who are committed to them can still live in Germany".

Police and the judiciary often seemed to have poor eyesight in the right eye , Schuster criticized. "It's getting revenge now." It was "overdue for all democratic forces to stand together to curb the threat posed by right-wing extremism and also by Islamist terror."

Outrage according to Hanau: Maassen explains itself

12.02: The former head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Hans-Georg Maassen, caused outrage shortly after the act of violence by Hanau with a statement about the political left and right. Maassen stressed on Thursday that his now deleted comment on Twitter was not a reaction to the “terrible attack”, but part of a dispute with journalist Tilo Jung. In fact, Maassen had reacted to a now deleted tweet from Wednesday afternoon on Thursday morning.

Jung had written in it: “Oppression, lack of freedom, inequality (which includes racism etc.), repression cannot be left. right thinking is built on that. ”Maassen replied:“ Socialist logic: perpetrators are always on the right, victims are always on the left. You no longer have to deal with Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Ulbricht ... because they were Nazis. The catch is: after this thinking you are right yourself. Antifa = Nazis. ”In many angry reactions, Maassen's tweet was related to Hanau's deed .

Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) and Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) have meanwhile left Hanau in Hesse, as the dpa has learned.

11:58: The act of violence by Hanau with a total of eleven deaths has a right-wing radical background , according to Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) . The 43-year-old German "shot a number of people, mostly from abroad," said the CSU politician on Thursday in Munich after a phone call from the interior ministers of the federal and state governments . Based on the materials found, one has to assume "that it is a right-wing radical, xenophobic background ".

Hanau: Erdogan's spokesman speaks of a racist attack on "our citizens"

11:38: Turkey has condemned the acts of violence by Hanau and called for a quick clarification. "We expect the German authorities to make maximum efforts to investigate the incident," Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan , wrote on Thursday.

Kalin spoke of a "racist attack" and "our citizens" who were killed in the act. According to the initial findings of the German security authorities, many people with a migration background are among the fatalities. At first it was not known whether foreign citizens were among them. "Racism is a collective cancer," added Kalin.

11:31: The SPD calls after the violence by Hanau to a vigil in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. "We have to set an example. Against right-wing terror, against right-wing hatred, against fascism, ”wrote Secretary General Lars Klingbeil on Thursday on Twitter. A declaration of solidarity on Thursday evening at 6 p.m. should make it clear that "we are not leaving our country to the agitators and right-wing terrorists".

"But we should not stop at expressing our dismay and shock at this unbelievable act," SPD Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz told the dpa. For the third time in less than nine months, people in Germany had been murdered by "right-wing terrorists". "That's why we can't go on the agenda," he said.

Hanau: Minister Maas comments - "Right-wing terrorism again a danger to Germany"

11:27 a.m .: Now Federal Ministers also speak out on the bloody deed of Hanau. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) sees an increasing threat from right-wing extremists in Germany. "Right-wing terrorism has again become a threat to our country," Maas told the newspapers of the editorial network Germany on Thursday. "Democracy must defend itself against the enemies of freedom," said the SPD politician. That applies "for all of us".

The background to this is the assumption that there is a right-wing motive behind the Hanau act. "If the suspicion is confirmed, the gruesome act in Hanau is the third extreme right-wing murder attack in Germany in a year. There is absolutely nothing to put into perspective," said Maas.

Even President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has expressed its horror at the "terrorist violence in Hanau" expressed. The Federal President said on Thursday in Berlin: "My deep grief and sympathy go out to the victims and their relatives. I wish the injured a speedy recovery. I stand by all people who are threatened by racist hatred. You are not alone. ”“ The vast majority of people in Germany condemn this act and all forms of racism, hatred and violence, ”Steinmeier emphasized.

To Hanau: horror in Berlin, Merkel cancels the appointment - the Greens and the Left are targeting AfD

10:51 am: In federal politics, after the alleged terrorist act by Hanau, demands for measures against an increase in right-wing extremism are increasing . A number of politicians specifically targeted the AfD right wing Björn Höcke .

"Björn Höcke, according to #Gauland is the center of the AfD, among others, the key word for this right-wing terrorism," tweeted the Green MP Dieter Janecek under the hashtag "#Hanau". "The racist attack in Hanau is not an accident," wrote left boss Katja Kipping . "Such acts are fueled by right-wing agitation", for example by Höckes, who "denies people their dignity". "The arsonists know exactly what they are doing," said Janecek's Bavarian party friend Katharina Schulze : "Words become deeds."

An urgent warning came from the former Federal Minister of Justice Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger (FDP). “A right-wing extremist murders Walter Lübcke. A right-wing extremist carries out an anti-Semitic attack in Halle. A right-wing extremist kills ten people in Hanau, ”she tweeted. "What still needs to happen before the right-wing terrorist threat is finally taken seriously?"

A right-wing extremist murders Walter Lübcke. A right-wing extremist carries out an anti-Semitic attack in Halle. A right-wing extremist kills ten people in #Hanau. What needs to be done before the right-wing terrorist threat is finally taken seriously?

Germany has an "ever-increasing problem of right-wing terrorism," stressed left-wing MP Sevim Dagdelen on Twitter. Nevertheless, the country prefers to discuss the "horseshoe theory" and "equidistance" of left and right-wing extremism. Mistakes from the NSU murder series should not be repeated, she demanded.

Hanau: Lindner assumes "racist terror" - the migration commissioner is only cautious

10:35: After the bloody deed of Hanau, numerous politicians have expressed horror. FDP chief Christian Lindner wrote on Thursday morning on "apparently racist terror". Right-wing extremism must be "opposed with all determination," he emphasized.

The Green Co-Chair Annalena Baerbock also spoke of "terrible news". There are indications of a racist background, she explained: "It's good that the federal prosecutor is now investigating," emphasized Baerbock.

The migration commissioner of the federal government, Annette Widmann-Mauz (CDU), was more cautious . "Whatever the motive for this terrible act," her thoughts and sympathy are with the victims, relatives and the security and emergency services, said Widmann-Mauz on Twitter at 8.15 a.m.

Tonight, 11 people lost their lives in Hanau. Partners, children, parents, friends and others mourn for them. Colleagues. Whatever the motive for this terrible act: My thoughts u. Compassion is now with them the security and Rescue workers.

10.07 am: Federal Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) has asked Hanau for a quick clarification of the bloody deed . "We have to thoroughly clarify the background to the crime and do everything we can to prevent such crimes in the future," said Lambrecht in Berlin on Thursday. "It's shocking how many people have been killed senselessly there." Her thoughts are "with the victims and their relatives".

9.53 a.m .: After the night of violence with eleven dead in Hanau , Hesse , the Bavarian state parliament canceled its carnival event . “The Bavarian State Parliament mourns the death of this terrible act. Again, people have become victims of hate and terror, ”said Ilse Aigner (CSU) President of the Landtag in Munich on Thursday. The attack on open society and its values ​​is stunned. “In our thoughts we are with the relatives and friends of the dead in these sad hours. We wish you strength and support. ”Actually, carnival fools from all over Bavaria wanted to appear and celebrate in the state parliament on“ Nonsensical Thursday ”.

Gunshots in Hanau: Bouffier for "hour to pause" - Seehofer arrives

9.45 a.m .: Hesse's Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) said in a statement in the state parliament that he had already phoned Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) , later interior minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) would travel to Hanau. Bouffier emphasizes that it is currently an “hour to pause” - the next step is to clarify the fact, then you have to decide which conclusions to draw from the fact. "Today in Hessen everyone thinks of the Hanau murdered people and their relatives," says the Prime Minister.

Merkel and Seehofer have already canceled other dates planned for Thursday.

9:39 am: Lortz then reports: "It was decided by mutual agreement that we should close the state parliament session for today." A plenary session therefore does not take place.

9:38: Beuth emphasizes: “The investigation is ongoing. I ask citizens not to participate in speculation. I offer my heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families. I wish the injured a quick and complete recovery. "

Hesse's interior minister Peter Beuth.

© dpa / Arne Dedert

9.35 a.m .: Beuth further explains: “A website of the alleged perpetrator became known. First results indicate a xenophobic motive. I strongly condemn this act. It is an attack on our free and peaceful society. The alleged perpetrator was previously not known to be xenophobic, nor did he appear to the police. So far there are no indications of other perpetrators. The Attorney General classifies the crime as a suspected terrorist act. ”

Hanau (Hessen): Interior Minister Beuth speaks after bloody deed in the state parliament - mother of the alleged perpetrator also dead

9.33 a.m .: Now Hesse's Interior Minister Peter Beuth speaks: “Yesterday evening at around 10 p.m. guns were fired at people in Hanau. According to the current status, nine people were killed, one person seriously injured and other people injured. Thanks to witness statements and videos, references to the perpetrator and the vehicle were quickly obtained. The owner of the vehicle is a 43-year-old German from Hanau. Two other people were found dead in his apartment. This is the 72-year-old mother and the alleged perpetrator himself. Both had gunshot wounds.

9:31 am: State Vice President Frank Lortz (CDU): “We are all under the impression of the bad events of the past night. We commemorate the dead, dedicate a silent prayer to them. We wish the injured a speedy recovery. We express our sympathy to the relatives. "

9.30 a.m .: In the Hessian state parliament, there is a minute's silence, many deputies are visibly shocked.

Update from February 20, 9:19 a.m .: Interior Minister Beuth (CDU) is currently speaking to the members of the Hessian state parliament about the current status of the investigation into the bloody deed in Hanau.

The planned start of the 35th plenary session has been postponed by half an hour to 9.30 a.m. The Interior Minister @peterbeuth Beuth previously informed the members of the Hessian #Landtag | s about the current status of the investigation into the events in #Hanau. #Hessen #hlt

Statement after horror night in Hanau: Hesse's interior minister Beuth talks about the bloody deed

First report from February 20, 9:10 am : Hanau - Terrible news from Hanau, Hesse, shakes Germany. Eleven people were killed the night of February 20th. Apparently the perpetrator had a radical right-wing motive. Hesse's Interior Minister Peter Beuth would like to comment on the events on Thursday at 9.15 a.m. We will keep you up to date in this ticker.

You can find out what is known at Merkur.de *.

* Merkur.de and tz.de are part of the Germany-wide Ippen-Digital editors network

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List of rubric lists: © dpa / Peter Steffen