Several people were killed on Friday in a shooting rampage by a lone gunman in a Munich shopping centre, police said.
The Bild newspaper reported that the gunman ran through the mall near the Olympic stadium in the southern German city, firing on several people before fleeing in the direction of a nearby metro station.
Europe has been on alert for terrorism in the wake of a string of attacks.
The OEZ shopping centre was surrounded by police who were hunting for the attacker, the paper said. "There is a major police operation under way in the shopping centre," Munich police said on Twitter, urging people to avoid the area.
Emergency vehicles were seen in the streets outside, as passers-by looked on.
"Attention — avoid the neighbourhood around the OEZ. Stay in your homes. Leave the street," the Munich police tweet said.
The shooting comes just days after a teenage asylum seeker went on the rampage with an axe and a knife on a regional train in Germany, injuring five people.
Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the teenager was believed to be a "lone wolf" attacker who appeared to have been "inspired" by the Islamic State group but was not a member of the terror network.
It also follows a truck attack in the French Riviera city of Nice after Bastille Day fireworks last week that left 84 people dead.