Details are emerging about the gunman who shot dead six Jehovah's Witnesses in Germany, painting a picture of a disturbed man who battled paranoia and wrote an apocalypse-themed book.
Police identified the killer as Philipp F., a 35-year-old unmarried ex-member of the Christian group who targeted the congregation at a Hamburg meeting hall before turning the gun on himself.
Investigators are still seeking a motive for the attack on Thursday evening, which also left eight people wounded.
In a statement, the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany expressed deep sympathy for the families of the victims and said its focus was on providing pastoral care to everyone affected by the tragedy.
“At the same time, our sincere thanks go to the police, who undoubtedly prevented even more deaths and injuries due to their quick intervention”, the group said.
Journey to hell
On Amazon, Philipp F. promoted his self-published book, “The Truth about God, Jesus Christ and Satan”, a mix of business management advice and fundamentalist prose, according to AFP.
It has now been removed from the site, but German media said it details his three-year “personal journey to hell” and describes a “higher heavenly government” with 101 million spiritual beings.
Philipp F. said he was brought up in a strict evangelical family and had “prophetic dreams” in childhood.
The 292-page book presents the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine as divine punishments, and outlines fears of a third world war.
It also expresses pro-Russian and misogynistic views, according to Der Spiegel newspaper.
Troubled businessman
The gunman's professional website is packed with references to the Bible and Liverpool football club.
He backed the end of combustion engines and advocated for the “maximisation of happiness in the lives of humans and animals”.
It is full of prophecies, too — he foresees a “major shift in the architecture of the world we live in” and in the sky “where ghost people live”.
On his web page and LinkedIn account, Philipp F. presented himself as a successful businessman.
He offered consulting and general management services for 250,000 euros ($266,162) a day, saying he had the ability to “generate added value of 2.5 million euros” for companies.
He also advertised his “holistic” approach, encompassing “theology and law”.
He lost his job in 2020 and described himself as a self-employed financial consultant, though his website does not mention any recent assignments.
Investigators say he appeared to be embroiled in disputes with several companies, filing criminal complaints, including against a Bavarian firm where he was previously employed.
Anger and warnings
Police said the gunman left the religious community about a year and a half ago, “apparently not on good terms”.
In its statement, the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany confirmed that the man police identified as the gunman was a former member who left the church voluntarily two years ago.
“We do not know the motive for this terrible crime”, it said. “Like the rest of the world, we were shocked and bewildered when we read ... that the gunman reportedly bore ‘particular anger’ not just towards the Jehovah's Witnesses but also towards other religious groups and his former employer.”
By some accounts he chose to leave, but other witnesses said he was shunned. The Bild newspaper reported that he was excluded following the publication of his apocalyptic business book.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim a worldwide membership of about 8.7 million, with about 170,000 in Germany. The religious movement was founded in the US in the 19th century and has its headquarters in Warwick, New York.
An anonymous tip-off was sent to the weapons control authority in January. It claimed that Philipp F. may have been suffering from an undiagnosed mental illness and had a “particular anger against religious members or against the Jehovah's Witnesses and his former employer”.
Police visited him at his modest flat, in a grey building in the west of the city, but said they did not find anything of serious concern and left, saying he had been “co-operative”.
He was little known in his neighbourhood, according to German media.
Raids following the shooting uncovered 15 magazines loaded with 15 bullets each and four further packs of ammunition with about 200 rounds.
He was legally in possession of the weapon he used in the attack.
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