German authorities say a man opened fire at a Mercedes-Benz factory in southwestern Germany, killing two people
A man opened fire at a Mercedes-Benz car factory in southwestern Germany on Thursday, killing two people, authorities and the company said.
The shooting took place in Sindelfingen, a city near Stuttgart. The suspect, a 53-year-old Turkish national, has been taken into custody, the Stuttgart public prosecutor’s office said.
Prosecutors said in a statement that police received the first emergency calls at around 7:45 a.m. (0545 GMT; 1:45 a.m. EST) on Thursday.
By the time the officers arrived, the suspect had been overwhelmed by company security. He is being investigated on suspicion of double murder.
Prosecutors said the two victims were both 44 years old, but did not provide further details about the dead, and said a possible motive for the killing was under investigation.
Mercedes-Benz said in a statement that two people were killed at its plant in Sindelfingen and that the company was “deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic news”.
“Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and all colleagues on site,” the statement said.
The company said the three dead were employees of an external service provider. The German news agency (dpa) reported that they worked for a logistics company, Rhenus.
The sprawling Sindelfingen plant employs about 35,000 workers producing the E-Class and S-Class luxury sedans and the CLS and GLC coupes, according to the Mercedes-Benz website. It also houses the planning, procurement, development and design departments.
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