Eight killed in two shootings near Frankfurt in Germany

At least eight people have been killed in two shootings at shisha bars in a German city near Frankfurt, reports said. 

Five people were also injured in the shootings in Hanau. 

The public prosecutor’s office confirmed that eight people were killed in attacks.

Reuters reported that special forces were chasing the gunmen who fled in a car. According to local Bild newspaper, police have arrested one suspect.

Heavily armed police sealed off two streets in Hanau as a police helicopter hovered over the city.

Local media reports said gunmen had opened fire at two shisha bars in Hanau, and that two people had been shot in a car parked in front of one of the cafes. 

The first incident was reported from on Heumarkt in the centre of the town around 10 PM local time Wed (2:30 AM Thursday) when eight or nine shots were fired at the “Midnight” shisha bar, local media and police said.

A dark vehicle was seen leaving the scene and shots were heard at a second shisha bar -- the Arena Bar & Café in Kurt-Schumacher-Platz in the western Kesselstadt district –- soon after. Five people were very seriously injured in the second incident. 

The motive for the shootings is still unclear. 

Hanau, about 20 km east of Frankfurt, has a population of about 100,000.