Nine people were killed on Friday when a gunman opened fire in a Munich mall.
The attacker, who officials say was acting alone, killed himself after the massacre at Olympia shopping centre.
Hours after the attack, details of his identity, the motive and his history are being unravelled.
1.
The gunman was Ali Sonboly, an 18-year-old German-Iranian from Munich. He held dual citizenship of Germany and Iran, but was born and brought up in Munich and had lived there all his life. His father is a taxi driver in the city, and his mother works at a department store.
2.
According to neighbours, he was a quiet guy and described as a loner, who was apparently bullied for years while at school. Officials have suggested that he was being treated for depression, among other mental health conditions.
3.
Police, who searched Sonboly’s room, found newspaper clippings on attacks including a book titled: “Rampage in Head: Why Students Kill” , police told reporters.
4.
Cops also found a Glock 17 semi-automatic handgun and also had 300 rounds of ammunition in his rucksack.
5.
Officials confirmed that Sonboly was acting alone, and told a press conference this morning that it was ‘a classic case of a shooter acting without any political motivation’. Because of this, the attack is not going to be investigated as an act of terrorism. This goes against speculation during the attack, after there were reports from witnesses that he had shouted anti-foreigner, pro-German slurs while opening fire. Officials also said that based on the searches, there were no indications whatsoever that there was a connection to Islamic State.
Image: Police officers are pictured at the entrance of an apartment building following a shooting rampage at Olympia shopping mall in Munich. Photograph: Michael Dalder/Reuters
