Gunman Kills Two U.S. Airmen, Wounds Two at Frankfurt Airport
A man armed with a handgun fatally shot two American airmen and wounded two others aboard a bus picking up U.S. military personnel at Frankfurt Airport yesterday, U.S. and German authorities said. A suspect, described as a 21-year-old from Kosovo, was arrested nearby, Andre Sturmeit, a Frankfurt police spokesman, said at a news conference at the airport, Europe’s third- busiest. Police haven’t determined a motive for the attack, he said. In Washington, U.S. gucci outlet President Barack Obama said the U.S. will work with German authorities and “will spare no effort in learning how this outrageous act took place.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking to reporters in Berlin, said the government will do “whatever is needed to determine what happened” in the “terrible event.” The attack may have started with an altercation outside the Air Force bus and then moved inside, said Manfred Fuellhardt, a Frankfurt police spokesman. While Fuellhardt said it appeared the gunman was acting alone, Obama said in his remarks that U.S. and German authorities will “ensure that all of the perpetrators are brought to justice.” The vehicle carrying 14 passengers was headed for the U.S. air base in Ramstein, southwest of Frankfurt, Sturmeit said. The security forces team, assigned to RAF Lakenheath air base in England, was on its way to an overseas deployment, according to an Air Force statement. The Air Force is withholding the names of the victims until their families are notified. Americans Targeted Spiegel Online, citing unidentified officials familiar with the matter, said the gunman specifically targeted American military personnel and was carrying a large amount of ammunition. Investigators haven’t determined whether the attacker was acting alone or as part of an organized group, Spiegel said. Relatives of the suspect in Kosovo described him as a devout Muslim who was born and raised in Germany and worked at the airport, the Associated Press reported, citing an uncle identified at Rexhep Uka. Frankfurt Airport is operating normally, a spokeswoman for Fraport AG, the airport’s operator, said by telephone. She declined to be identified by name in accordance with the company’s policy. Germany had raised its terrorist threat level in November amid signs that Islamic extremists planned an attack in the country and the discovery of air-freight bombs. The anti- terrorist police presence at airports and train stations was scaled back Feb. 1. Obama said the shooting was “a stark reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices that our men and women in uniform are making all around the world.” --With assistance from Tony Czuczka in Berlin, Mike Dorning, Nicholas Johnston, Viola Gienger and Tony Capaccio in Washington and Christian Vits in Frankfurt. Editors: Joe Sobczyk, Leslie Hoffecker.