A deadly rampage at a Jehovah's Witnesses hall in Hamburg has put scrutiny on how the gunman was in legal possession of a semi-automatic pistol despite Germany's tightened gun laws and a prior warning about his suspicious behaviour.
The 35-year-old man, whose name was given as Philipp F. in accordance with German privacy laws, killed six people and then himself when he opened fire on Thursday evening.
The exact motives were still unknown, but officials said the gunman had previously expressed his hatred for Jehovah's Witnesses. He had once been a member of their community and had grown up in a religious family in southern Germany.
