The gunman who killed one person at a German nightclub was the Iraqi Kurdish son-in-law of the nightclub's owner, German authorities said.

He returned to the Grey nightclub in the southern city of Konstanz armed with an M16 rifle after having been thrown out following an argument, a state prosecutor said.

The victim was a doorman. Several others were wounded including a police officer.

The gunman was killed by police.

Hundreds of revellers are thought to have been at Grey at the time of the shooting. They either fled outside in terror or found places to hide as the shooting unfolded.

The wounded police officer's life had been saved by his helmet, which deflected a bullet fired by the gunman, Andreas Stenge from the Baden-Württemberg criminal investigation office said at a press conference.

Mr Stenge said the M16 was an "absolute war weapon" and said the gunman appeared to know how to handle it.

The 34-year-old had come to police attention twice in the past, police said.

Police chief Ekkehard Falk said a police strategy to swiftly disable the gunman had prevented further casualties.

The Baden-Württemberg authorities have ruled out a terrorist motive for the incident.

Source:
courtesy of BBC NEWS

by BBC NEWS

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