Gunman Kills 7 People in Mass Shooting at Jehovah's Witness Hall in Hamburg, Germany

Seven people, including an unborn baby, are dead after a gunman stormed a Jehovah's Witness hall in the German city of Hamburg.

The 35-year-old lone attacker, who authorities have identified as Philipp F (surnames are not released under German law) killed himself after he fled from emergency responders to the first floor of the building, Hamburg Police said in a statement.

Eight more people were wounded. Four have serious injuries, authorities in Hamburg confirmed Friday.

While the suspect's motivations are currently unknown, the BBC reported that he was a former member of the religious group and had "ill feelings" towards the Jehovah's Witness community.

German news outlet DW added that police were called to the Alsterdorf district of Germany's second-largest city at about 9:15 p.m. (local time) on Thursday, where the attacker is believed to have shot a window to enter the building.

He was armed with a handgun and carried two magazines with 15 bullets each and had another 20 magazines in his backpack, added DW. Police later found hundreds of rounds of ammunition when they searched the German national's home, the outlet continued.

"There were 12 continuous shots," a witness told local television reporters. "Then we saw how people were taken away in black bags."

At a press conference, Hamburg's interior senator Andy Grote described it as "a homicide that we have never known here in Hamburg on this scale." He added that first responders managed to separate the gunman from the rest of the congregation when they arrived and that "we can assume that they saved many people's lives this way."

Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz called the shooting a "brutal act of violence" in a tweet, saying his thoughts were with the family of those slain and the emergency responders.

"I extend my deepest sympathy to the families of the victims. The forces are working at full speed to pursue the perpetrators and clarify the background," Hamburg mayor Peter Tschentscher said in a tweet.

More than 100 bullets were reportedly fired by the gunman during the attack. Hamburg police chief Ralf Martin Meyer said Philipp K had a weapons license and owned a semi-automatic pistol, which German newspaper Bild said was a Heckler & Koch.

The gunman had previously been brought to the attention of local police after an anonymous tip said he might not be mentally fit to own weapons. However, DW reported these concerns were dismissed when police found he'd broken no laws after visiting his home.

The German Jehovah's Witness community issued a statement after the incident and said it was "deeply saddened by the horrific attack on its members at the Kingdom Hall in Hamburg after a religious service".

There are believed to be about 4,000 members of the Christian-based religious movement in Hamburg, and about 170,000 total members in Germany.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

German gun laws are more strict than regulations in the U.S. but there have still been deadly shootings in the European country. In January 2022, a man shot at students in a lecture hall at Heidelberg University, killing one and seriously injuring three others. In 2020, a mass shooting at two shisha bars in Hanau claimed the lives of nine people.