Iran condemns Munich mall attack by Iranian-German youth

TEHRAN — Iran on Saturday condemned a shooting spree at a busy shopping center in Munich a day earlier, in which a teenage German-Iranian gunman killed nine people before committing suicide.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi denounced “the killing of innocent and defenseless people” and expressed Iran’s solidarity with the German government and people, official IRNA news agency reported.

Ghasemi also called for a “relentless and comprehensive fight” to eradicate violence.

Sixteen people were also wounded in Friday’s attack in Munich, German police said, adding that the assailant was an 18-year-old German-Iranian who had no criminal record.

German police walk near a shopping mall in Munich during a shooting attack that left nine people dead on July 22, 2016. (Matthias Balk/DPA/AFP)

A police spokesman in Germany had said Friday that terrorism was suspected, without revealing any immediate indications of an Islamist link.

The attack came just days after a teenage asylum seeker went on a rampage with an ax and a knife on a train on Monday near Wuerzburg, also in Bavaria, injuring five people.

US President Barack Obama on Friday vowed American support to Germany in the wake of the shooting rampage.

“Our hearts go out to those who may have been injured. It’s still an active situation, and Germany’s one of our closest allies, so we are going to pledge all the support that they may need in dealing with these circumstances,” he said.

A gunman opens fire outside a Munich shopping mall, July 22, 2016 (YouTube screenshot)

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, meanwhile, sent his condolences to Germany, writing on Twitter: “Deeply shocked & saddened by Munich shootings. My thoughts are w/ the victims, their loved ones & all Germany at this time.”

French President Francois Hollande, whose own country has been repeatedly targeted in a deadly wave terror over the past 18 months, on Saturday branded the shooting a “disgusting terrorist attack” that sought to strike fear in Germany, Reuters reported.

“The terrorist attack that struck Munich killing many people is a disgusting act that aims to foment fear in Germany after other European countries,” Hollande said in a statement.

“Germany will resist, it can count on France’s friendship and cooperation,” he said, adding that he would speak with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday morning.