At least 11 killed in Germany shootings

A gunman opened fire on two shisha bars in the western German city of Hanau, killing 11 people and injuring several others.

The shootings took place at around 10pm on Wednesday, with the first target being the Midnight Shisha bar in the centre of Hanau.

The suspect then reportedly fled in a dark car to the Kesselstadt neighbourhood and opened fire at the Arena Bar & Cafe, where at least five people were killed.

Both places targeted were reported to have been predominately Kurdish.

After an extensive search, the suspect was found dead at his home along with the body of his mother. Police said the suspect killed himself.

Federal prosecutors are treating the attack as terrorism, with officials saying there is evidence the gunman was a far-right extremist. Hesse Interior Minister Peter Beuth also confirmed that the case was being treated as a terrorist attack, with the first indications pointing to an anti-foreigner motive. 

According to Bild tabloid, he was a German citizen with a firearms licence, and that ammunition and gun magazines were found in his car. The media house said he expressed far-right views in a letter of confession and a video but this has not been confirmed officially.

Shisha bars are places where people gather to smoke a pipe known as shisha or hookah. Traditionally found in Middle Eastern and Asian countries they are also popular in many other parts of the world.