Georgian officials offer condolences to Germany over Munich shooting
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Monday, July 25
Georgia’s top officials have already offered condolences to Germany over Friday’s deadly shooting in Munich, which left nine people dead and more than dozen injured.
“It is with great sadness that I learned of this terrorist attack in Munich. Once again, innocent people have fallen victim to terrorist bullets,” Georgia’s PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili stated.
“I wholeheartedly offer my deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims, the German people and the Government of Germany. I wish them courage and strength at this time of grief,” Kvirikashvili added.
The PM stressed that the Munich tragedy was yet another signal that the whole world must take active action to stop such brutal crimes.
“I am deeply outraged about the dreadful terrorist act in Munich. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families,” Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili wrote.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a special statement wherein it gave the number of a hotline for Georgian citizens living in Munich and asked them to avoid crowded areas.
"With regard to the developments underway in the German city of Munich, we are establishing a hotline number at +491 62 88 55 303. We call on citizens of Georgia residing in Munich, if necessary, to contact the consular office,” the Ministry said.
The shooting at a Munich shopping centre was carried out by one gunman who committed suicide, international media reports.
The media says he was a young citizen of Germany with Iranian roots, who killed mainly other teenagers and shouted he was German.
Police who searched the 18-year-old's room say they found written material on attacks.
Police also found a Glock pistol and 300 bullets in the killer’s room.
A spokesman for the Munich prosecutor, Thomas Steinkraus-Koch, said the killer might have been receiving psychiatric care.
"We are assuming that he may have suffered from depression," he said. "As far as we know he has no criminal record. In 2012 and 2010 he was a victim of an attack - on one occasion he was beaten by three young offenders."
Police said the gunman was a dual German-Iranian national who was born in Munich. His name has not been released.
His body was found about 1km (half a mile) from the mall, where the shooting took place. He had no known links to the Islamic State (IS) militant group, police said.
Police have ruled out any connection to the self-styled Islamic State (IS) group, the BBC reported.
