Three people have been wounded in a shootout at a Muslim prayer centre in Switzerland's financial hub Zurich. It was reported that the gunman burst into the prayer hall, where several worshippers gathered for a religious ceremony, and started firing.
What we know so far
- Around 5:30pm (1630 GMT), the unidentified assailant entered the Islamic Centre and began shooting at the worshippers. In an official statement, the Zurich police said that the firing injured three men. "Three men, aged 30, 35 and 56, were injured, some seriously," said the news release according to Al Jazeera.
- The ATS news agency reported that the worshipers were mainly from North Africa, Somalia and Eritrea.
- Police have launched a manhunt for the attacker who, according to eyewitnesses, was wearing dark clothes and aged around 30. Reports suggest that the gunman escaped in the direction of the Central Station.
- There has not been any claimant for the attack as yet. There is also no evidence about who possibly could have carried out the attack, according to the local media. Police have cordoned off the area and are searching for the gunman with sniffer dogs in nearby buildings, reported Al Jazeera. Police officers have also urged people with information to come forward.
- BBC News reported that the police are still unsure about why the Islamic Centre was targeted in the attack.
- A dead body was also recovered a few hundred metres from the shootout scene, said an AFP photographer. However, it is still not clear if the body is connected to the shooting.
