Shooting at Mercedes plant kills 2 in Germany

BERLIN - Two people were killed as a gunman opened fire at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen, southern Germany, on Thursday morning.

According to initial investigation, the 53-year-old man shot at the two victims at the plant but he was arrested without any resistance, the Stuttgart public prosecutor's office and Ludwigsburg police headquarters said in a joint statement.

The Sindelfingen plant was located some 17 km southwest of Stuttgart.

The all-clear was given around one hour after police and rescue workers arrived at the premises. "There is no longer any danger to employees at the plant," police said via Twitter.

The factory building had been evacuated and "employees are currently being cared for by the police and the company's own support staff," said local authorities.

Police and rescue services were remaining on site with a large number of forces as "the motive for the attack is still being investigated," the statement said.

Mercedes-Benz confirmed that there was an incident at its Sindelfingen site. "We are in communication with the authorities and are trying to clarify the facts," the carmaker told German media.