Two Americans shot dead at Frankfurt Airport
Two US servicemen were shot dead at Frankfurt Airport and at least two others seriously injured on Wednesday after a man opened fire on bus for American soldiers. Both US President Obama and German Chancellor Merkel expressed shock and outrage.
"Two airmen have been killed and two were wounded during a shooting incident today at Frankfurt International Airport," US Air Forces Europe said in a statement.
The victims had just flown in from Britain and were about to travel to Ramstein airbase near Frankfurt, German police said.
Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her condolences to the friends and families of the deceased. "This is a horrible event," she told reporters in Berlin.
The shooting came a month after Germany's authorities had announced that additional security measures imposed late last year in response to indications of an imminent "terrorist" attack were set to be gradually scaled back.
The police initially said they believed there was an altercation near the bus before the shooting occurred around 3:20 pm and there was no clear indication that it was an act of terrorism. However, by Wednesday evening evidence was mounting that it could have been a targeted attack against US forces.
The authorities said a 21-year-old suspect from Kosovo living in Frankfurt had been overpowered after fleeing into the terminal building.
Boris Rhein, interior minister for the state of Hesse, said the man had apparently approached the bus and shot a US solider standing in front of the vehicle before killing the driver in his seat. He said the motive for the shooting remained unknown.
"I am consciously speaking of homicide and not an attack," said Rhein at the scene of the shooting. "But at the moment nothing can be ruled out."
The suspect used a handgun, Rhein said, while media reports said that the man also had a knife. There was no exchange of fire aboard the bus.
Another police spokesman said that those injured were taken to a civilian hospital, but he was unable to say if they were in a critical condition.
US President Barack Obama, in a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room, said that the US government would "spare no effort" to find out the circumstances of the attack.
"We will be working with German authorities to ensure that all the perpetrators are brought to justice," Obama said, describing the shooting a "stark reminder" of the sacrifices US service members serving abroad made.
The US military has a number of major bases near Frankfurt, including Ramstein, which are used as hubs for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
A gunman shouting "Allah Akbar" opened fire on a bus carrying U.S. airmen in Frankfurt, Germany, killing two and wounding two others before his gun jammed and he was subdued, officials said.
An ethnic Albanian from Kosovo was taken into custody and the FBI was heading an investigation because U.S. citizens were killed and to determine whether the shooting was an act of terrorism.
President Obama made an unscheduled appearance to say, "I am saddened and I am outraged by this attack" and U.S. investigators would work with German authorities and "spare no effort" to ensure that "all of the perpetrators are brought to justice."
He added that the killings were a "stark reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices" of American service members.
Sources told ABC News that the gunman boarded a shuttle bus at the Frankfurt airport. The bus was marked United States Air Force and was carrying 13 or 14 people, plus the driver.
When he opened fire, the gunman shouted "Allah Akbar," according to sources. He fired nine times, killling two and critically wounding two others before the gun jammed and he was subdued by other passengers. While being wrestled into submission, the suspect shouted either "Jihad Jihad" or "Allah Akbar," sources said.
One of the dead was the bus driver, military officials said.
The service members who were attacked were members of a Security Forces team assigned to RAF Lakenheath in Great Britain. They were en route to support Overseas Contingency Operations, although their exact destination was not stated.
Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-Pa., said at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing today that the shooting looks like it could be a terrorist attack. Meehan said he was briefed by his staff, who are continuing to collect information.
Kosovo Interior Minister Bajram Rexhepi said the German police have identified the suspect as Arif Uka, a Kosovo citizen from the northern town of Mitrovica, according to the Associated Press.
"This is a devastating and a tragic event," Rexhepi said. "We are trying to find out was this something that was organized or what was the nature of the attack."
An ethnic Albanian from Kosovo was taken into custody and the FBI was heading an investigation because U.S. citizens were killed and to determine whether the shooting was an act of terrorism.
President Obama made an unscheduled appearance to say, "I am saddened and I am outraged by this attack" and U.S. investigators would work with German authorities and "spare no effort" to ensure that "all of the perpetrators are brought to justice."
He added that the killings were a "stark reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices" of American service members.
Sources told ABC News that the gunman boarded a shuttle bus at the Frankfurt airport. The bus was marked United States Air Force and was carrying 13 or 14 people, plus the driver.
When he opened fire, the gunman shouted "Allah Akbar," according to sources. He fired nine times, killling two and critically wounding two others before the gun jammed and he was subdued by other passengers. While being wrestled into submission, the suspect shouted either "Jihad Jihad" or "Allah Akbar," sources said.
One of the dead was the bus driver, military officials said.
The service members who were attacked were members of a Security Forces team assigned to RAF Lakenheath in Great Britain. They were en route to support Overseas Contingency Operations, although their exact destination was not stated.
Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-Pa., said at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing today that the shooting looks like it could be a terrorist attack. Meehan said he was briefed by his staff, who are continuing to collect information.
Kosovo Interior Minister Bajram Rexhepi said the German police have identified the suspect as Arif Uka, a Kosovo citizen from the northern town of Mitrovica, according to the Associated Press.
"This is a devastating and a tragic event," Rexhepi said. "We are trying to find out was this something that was organized or what was the nature of the attack."
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