Munich shooting: Police 'raid apartment where killer lived' after attack that killed nine people

Police have reportedly raided the home of the teenager who killed nine people - before turrning the gun on himself - in a shooting that left nine people dead and more than a dozen injured.

Authorities are searching for clues as to the motive of the 18-year-old German-Iranian man police say was behind the attack in the Bavarian capital on Friday night.

Eyewitnesses say a man opened fire at a McDonald’s restaurant outside the Olympia shopping centre (OEZ) in the southern German city. The dead, so far unnamed, included adolescents. The injured - which number 16, three of them in critical condition - includes children.

Police initally received witness reports of multiple shooters carrying rifles shortly before 6pm local time. Six hours later they declared a “cautious all clear,” saying the suspect had been found dead about one kilometre from the scene, and he had likely acted alone.

Police said that two people who fled the scene were investigated but had "nothing to do with the incident".

German daily newspaper Bild claimed that officers had raided a home in the city's Marxvorstadt district about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the mall and were interviewing the suspect's father, however police have declined to confirm this, citing “ongoing police operations.”

At an address on Dachauer Strasse that was searched by police early Saturday, a neighbor described the suspect as “very quiet.”

“He only ever said 'hi'. His whole body language was of somebody who was very shy,” Stephan, a coffee shop owner who would only give his first name, told the Associated Press.

“He never came in to the cafe,” he added. “He was just a neighbor and took out the trash but never talked.”

It is thought many of the victims were sitting in the McDonalds when the gunman struck. One eyewitness said: “I came out of the toilet and I heard, like an alarm, ‘boom, boom, boom’. He was killing the children. They were sitting to eat. They couldn’t run.”

The motive for the attack remains unclear and no organisations or individuals have claimed responsibility yet. One eye witness claimed the man shouted “Allahu Akbar”, while unverified footage posted to social media appeared to show the gunman on a car park roof shouting to onlookers “I am German” and stating he had grown up in a nearby social housing area.

Peter Beck, a Munich police spokesman, said officers were still collecting evidence at the scene of the crime Saturday morning.

“With regard to the suspect we have to examine everything, but we don't know yet what triggered the crime,” Mr Beck told The Associated Press.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was due to chair a meeting of her government's security Cabinet Saturday.

Ms Merkel's chief of staff, Peter Altmeier said it was not possible to rule out a terrorist connection at this stage.

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He said: "We aren't ruling out any possibility. I was in close contact with the Bavarian interior minister all afternoon and evening. The Chancellor is being kept up to date at all times everything we know and can say so far is that this was an inhuman, cruel attack.

"Our thoughts are with the victims of this attack. We can't rule out a terrorist connection, we can't confirm this but we investigate in this direction as well."

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the motive for the attack was not yet clear.

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

The horror is the latest in a series of deadly mass attacks in recent times. It follows bloodshed in Nice, Istanbul, Brussels and Paris.

Earlier this week, three people were seriously injured after a teenager attacked passengers on a train in Munich using an axe. Isis claimed responsibility for the attack, which was carried out by a youth from Afghanistan. The 17-year-old was shot dead by police.

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Bavaria’s interior minister Joachim Herrmann said he was an asylum seeker who had come to Germany as an unaccompanied minor and had been staying with a foster family “for a few months.”

Munich has been on high alert following the axe attack and extra security measures had been in place.

Leaders around the world have expressed their shock following the shooting and pledged support for Germany as the country seeks to ascertain the facts and bring the perpetrators to justice. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tweeted: “I am deeply shocked and saddened by Munich shootings. My thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones and all Germany at this time.”

Addressing a White House meeting, US President Barack Obama said: “We don't yet know exactly what's happening there, but obviously our hearts go out to those who may have been injured.”

“We are going to pledge all the support they may need.”

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Amid the horror, Munich locals expressed solidarity by offering sanctuary to thousands of people stranded on the streets as transport links shut down due to security measures. Residents used the hashtag #OffeneTür meaning ‘Open Door’ to offer their homes or businesses as places to stay.

Mosques in the city remained open overnight, accepting people with nowhere to stay and offering support for those traumatised by events or still searching for loved ones.

Germany’s security council is due to hold an emergency meeting today to address the shootings, led by Chancellor Merkel.