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Police spoke to Hamburg gunman weeks before attack

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A man who shot dead seven people in Germany was visited by police last month after a tip-off raised concerns about his mental health.

He co-operated with officers and there were not enough grounds to take away his gun at the time, police said.

The 35-year-old suspect, named only as Philipp F, had a licence to own the weapon for sporting purposes.

The country is preparing a new law involving tighter curbs on gun ownership, the interior minister said.

Seven people, including an unborn baby, were killed in Thursday’s attack which unfolded at a Jehovah’s Witness meeting hall in the city.

The first emergency call came at 21:04 local time (20:04 GMT) to report that shots had been fired, and officers were on site four minutes later.

Video appeared to show the gunman firing through a window. He then stormed the building where dozens of people had gathered, firing nine magazines of ammunition before apparently turning the gun on himself after police arrived.

Eight people were injured, including a woman who was seven months pregnant. She survived but her unborn baby was killed.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the death toll could rise.

(BBC News

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