SAA event in Stade area, Germany on Mon 29th June 2026

Five dead in shooting at youth welfare centre in northern Germany

Five people are dead and following a shooting at a "youth welfare centre" in Stade, northern Germany, police have said.

Two people have been arrested, one of whom is the suspected shooter, a police spokesperson told the BBC.

German media and the Reuters news agency reported all five victims were adults, citing a police spokesperson.

A number of people were also injured in Monday's shooting just west of Hamburg. Police later said there was no further threat to the public.

The possible motive of the perpetrator was not immediately clear.

"Homicides involving multiple victims occurred at a youth welfare facility" on Dankersstrasse, local police said in a statement at 14:15 local time (12:15 GMT).

"Five people were fatally injured and additional individuals sustained injuries."

Police urged the public to avoid the area.

Large numbers of emergency personnel were deployed to the scene.

German public broadcaster ZDF reported a city spokesperson had said children at a nearby daycare were inside at the time of the shooting, and "school-aged children" had since been collected by their parents.

The city in the state of Lower Saxony is located about 30km (19 miles) west of Hamburg, and has a population of about 50,000 people.