German police shot and wounded a 41-year-old man outside a Netto supermarket in Dresden’s Friedrichstadt district on Wednesday morning, after he allegedly opened fire on officers during a confrontation. According to German newspaper Bild and news agency DPA, the man shouted “Allahu Akbar” as special forces moved in, before falling to the ground after being struck by a bullet during an exchange of gunfire.
The incident began at around 8.20am, when witnesses spotted the armed 41-year-old man outside the supermarket and called police, who arrived quickly at the scene. According to Bild, the man was reportedly wielding “a kind of musket in his hand” as special forces approached him. Following an exchange of gunfire, he fell to the ground and screamed, apparently having been struck by a bullet, with a pool of blood reportedly forming on the ground around him. He was taken to hospital with his injuries and is not believed to be in a life-threatening condition.
Scene cordoned off as investigation begins
DPA reported that no police officers or members of the public were injured during the incident. Photographs from the scene, taken by local media, showed several armed and masked police officers surrounding the supermarket’s entrance, while a man was seen lying in the back of an ambulance nearby. A small, censored pool of blood was visible in front of the shop’s entrance. Police have since cordoned off the supermarket and confirmed there is no longer any danger to the public.
The suspect, who police say is Turkish, is now under investigation for making threats and violating weapons laws. As is standard procedure following any police shooting in Germany, authorities have also opened investigations into the suspected firearms offences involved and the officers’ use of firearms during the confrontation. Police are also examining whether the weapon he was carrying was live.
Motive still unclear
It remains unknown why the man carried out the confrontation. Officers are looking into whether he had any connection to staff working at the supermarket, as part of the broader effort to establish a motive. According to reports, neighbours said the man had displayed increasingly erratic behaviour in recent weeks, with police having previously been called out over alleged threats and disturbances involving him.
Investigation into possible extremist motive
Authorities have not announced a motive for the incident and are investigating whether there was any extremist element behind his actions. The case is being treated seriously by police, consistent with the response to previous incidents in Germany where individuals have used similar language while engaging with security forces, often prompting closer scrutiny for possible terrorism or extremism links.
