Mercedes-Benz shooting: Two killed at factory in Germany

The plant in Sindelfingen employs about 35,000 people

Two people have been killed in a shooting at a Mercedes-Benz factory in south-western Germany, police said.

A 53-year-old man entered the production hall at the plant in Sindelfingen and opened fire, shooting two 44-year-old men.

One of the victims died at the scene, the other died later in hospital. No one else was hurt.

Security staff detained the suspect and handed him to officers who arrested him without resistance, police said.

The incident happened at about 07:45 local time (05:45 GMT), police in the city of Ludwigsburg said.

"We are deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic news from Sindelfingen this morning. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and all colleagues on site," Mercedes-Benz said in a statement.

Mercedes-Benz produces its S-Class luxury model at the Sindelfingen plant, which employs about 35,000 people.

The firm said the people involved in the shooting had been employed by an external service provider.

The Stuttgart prosecutor's office said there was a single perpetrator and no one outside the factory was involved.

There was no danger to the public, police said.

Germany has some of the strictest gun laws in Europe and authorities say they are planning to tighten them further.

In March a shooting at a Jehovah's Witnesses meeting hall in Hamburg claimed seven lives, including that of an unborn child.

Authorities were also alarmed by a suspected plot to overthrow the government, which led to mass arrests in December.

Current laws require anyone aged under 25 to pass a psychological evaluation before getting a gun licence.

In 2021, there were around one million private gun owners in Germany, according to the National Firearms Registry. They account for 5.7 million legal firearms and firearm parts, most of them owned by hunters.