Can't confirm Munich shooting was terrorism, says Merkel's aide

Can't confirm Munich shooting was terrorism, says Merkel's aide
People are evacuated from the area around the shopping mall Olympia Einkaufzentrum OEZ in Munich on July 22, 2016 after gunmen went on a shooting rampage in the busy shopping center, killing eight people in a suspected terror attack. AFP

Munich: Germany cannot confirm that the shooting attack in Munich in which at least nine people were killed on Friday was an act of terrorism, Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff said.

Police in Munich said nine people had been killed in the attack, including a dead body found near the scene. They are trying to verify whether the body is that of one of the attackers.

"We cannot rule out that it is linked to terrorism but we can't confirm it either, but we are also investigating in this direction," Peter Altmaier said on German television.

He added that the security cabinet would hold a meeting midday on Saturday to assess the situation.

Motive for Munich attack 'unknown'

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the motive for the deadly shooting attack in a shopping mall in Munich on Friday was not yet clear.

"The motives for this abhorrent act have not yet been completely clarified - we still have contradictory clues," Steinmeier said in an emailed statement.

(With agency inputs)