After the killing spree that killed eight at a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Hamburg on Thursday evening, four people are still struggling with death. “We are still very concerned about several of the injured, who suffered serious gunshot wounds and are still in mortal danger,” said Hamburg’s Interior Senator Andy Grote (SPD) in an interview with the “Hamburger Abendblatt”. A total of eight people were injured in the violence. Four men and two women aged 33 to 60 died, as well as a seven-month-old fetus in the mother’s womb. The 33-year-old pregnant woman survived the attack with serious injuries. After the police arrived, the gunman turned his gun on himself (read also: “A special unit of the Hamburg police was on site within minutes. It wasn’t just a coincidence”).
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In the meantime, the state security department of the Hamburg public prosecutor’s office has taken over the investigation into the crime. The spokeswoman for the authority, Liddy Oechtering, told the “Bild” newspaper. The background is “that the presumed motives are seen in the area of religious ideology”.
Interior Senator Grote also suspects that the background to the killing spree has something to do with the relationship between the gunman Philipp F. and the community of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Hamburg-Alsterdorf. “At the moment everything indicates that the motive lies in the relationship between this community of Jehovah’s Witnesses and the perpetrator as a former member of this community,” said the SPD politician. F. had left the community about a year and a half ago – for what reason is still unclear.
At their press conference the day after the crime, the officials promised comprehensive investigations into the background to the killing spree. There is also the question of whether the act of violence could have been prevented. At the beginning of the year, the Weapons Authority received an anonymous tip. The unknown author referred to psychological problems at Philipp F. He was particularly angry at Jehovah’s Witnesses, the letter said. F. rejects medical treatment.
Two officers from the Weapons Authority, which is part of the Hamburg police, then visited the 35-year-old at home unannounced in early February. However, neither violations in the storage of the weapon and ammunition were discovered – apart from one improperly stored cartridge – nor were any abnormal behavior identified. As a marksman, F., who was not known to the police, owned his Heckler-type weapon
However: Even a brief internet search for Philipp F. raises considerable doubts about his suitability to carry a weapon. At the end of 2022 he published a 306-page book “The Truth About God, Jesus Christ and Satan: A New Reflected View of Epochal Dimensions” on the Internet, a crude summary of prophetic dreams, insights into higher connections, direct contact with God, a secret order. The glorification of Adolf Hitler also finds space in the book. He was the “human executor of Jesus Christ”. Among other things, F. wrote: “This also makes it clear that the persecution of the Jews during the Nazi era was a heavenly act.” That alone should already be a criminal offence. If investigations had been initiated, F. would presumably have gotten rid of his weapon.
Did the officials of the weapons authority know the book and other delusional writings by Philipp F.? “Since the questioning of the informant was not possible due to the anonymity, the officials of the weapons authority undertook further research,” Hamburg’s police chief Ralf Mayer outlined the procedure of his employees at the press conference. “Research in the police information systems (…) and in publicly accessible sources, from which they did not obtain any information at all (…).”
Meyer did not say whether the officers also came across the book – and the Hamburg police are also silent afterwards. “Please understand that we do not comment in detail on what information was used in the investigation of the suspect and how it was evaluated,” the press office replied on Friday to a stern request. You have “no additions” to the statements made by the police chief at the press conference.
The circumstances surrounding the review of Philipp F. are now also of interest to Hamburg state politics. The Left Party parliamentary group in the Hamburg Parliament calls on the Senate to clarify the open questions in the Parliament’s Interior Committee. “According to the latest findings, the question of whether the killing spree could have been prevented must be asked again. The crude theses presented on the website and in the book paint a picture of a confused, religious extremist,” said domestic spokesman Deniz Çelik.
Sources: “Bild” newspaper, “Hamburger Abendblatt” (paid content), DPA news agency
