Special op underway after reports of teen with firearm in German school

A “major operation” has been launched in Hamburg’s eastern district of Jenfeld, the city police department said in a Twitter post, adding that a young man armed with a firearm was reportedly seen entering the building.

Later, the police said that it was not exactly clear if the suspected gunman did enter the school building or simply walked past it. The area has been cordoned off and the building was being searched by the police Special Forces units.

The Otto Hahn School allegedly targeted by the gunman is a district gymnasium-level school attended by some 1,500 students.

The incident comes about a week after a lone wolf attacker opened fire in a lecture hall at a university in another German city, Heidelberg. The attack left one person dead and three injured.

The attacker took his own life before law enforcement arrived. The police have not officially revealed the assailant’s motives, but German media reported that the incident might have been linked to a relationship issue.