Two shot dead as 'Kosovan' gunman opens fire on bus picking up American soldiers from Frankfurt Airport
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 5:36 PM on 2nd March 2011
- Lone Kosovan gunman, 21, shot dead soldier and driver
- Kosovoan authorities identify suspect as Arif Uka
- The bus driver and a passenger are dead
- Troops had just arrived in Germany from Britain
- 'Too early to say if it is terrorist attack,' say police
Two U.S. airmen were today shot dead after a gunman opened fire on a bus of American troops who had just arrived at Frankfurt Aiport in Germany.
The attacker - identified as 21-year-old Kosovan named Arif Uka - gunned down his first victim as the soldier stood in front of the vehicle at Terminal 2.
He then turned his weapon on the driver as he sat behind the wheel and shot him dead. Witnesses described Uka brandishing a knife and shouting as he pulled the trigger.
Two dead: A lone gunman smuggled himself onto a U.S military bus at Frankfurt airport and then opened fire
Motives unclear: Police say it is too early to discuss whether the incident is a terrorist attack
He then attempted to flee the scene but was tackled by airport security who detained him until police arrived.
Tonight the U.S. military confirmed that two U.S. airmen had died in the attack. Two more are seriously injured
Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned the 'terrible incident' at the airport and said that Germany would do 'everything possible' to bring the perpetrator to justice.
German sources said that they could not reveal any details about the suspect at this stage.
But Kosovo Interior Minister Bajram Rexhepi said that he had been identified as Arif Uka a Kosovo citizen from the northern town of Mitrovica. He had recently been living in Germany.
'This is a devastating and a tragic event,' Rexhepi said.
'We are trying to find out was this something that was organised or what was the nature of the attack.'
Stationary: The bus was parked outside Terminal 2 of the airport when the attack occurred
En route: The soldiers had just arrived in Germany having left their Lakenheath base in Britain
The incident happened at Terminal 2 of Europe’s second biggest airport, which is a major interchange for troops travelling to and from Afghanistan.
According to CNN, the troops were U.S. airmen stationed at Lakenheath base in Britain. They had only just arrived in Germany.
Police spokesman Jürgen Linker said: 'It seems to have all happened on the bus.'
It is unclear at this stage whether the incident is being treated as a terrorist attack and Mr Linker said it was too early to discuss the gunman's possible motives.
Speaking after the attack, Interior minister Boris Rheim told German newspaper Bild that the investigation was in its earliest stages.
'If there’s a terrorist background I can’t tell you at the moment but it’s not being ruled out,' he said.
'We’re questioning the perpetrator very closely.'
Armed: The attacker was also said to be carrying a knife
Security: Police shield the bus with the airport in lockdown
Frankfurt Airport is only a short distance from the U.S. Air Force's headquarters in Europe, Ramstein Air Base, though the U.S. military has several major bases in the Frankfurt region, which is often used as a logistical hub for operations in Afghanistan or Iraq.
It is understood that the troops had just arrived In Germany and were on their way to a base when the attack happened, although the number of soldiers on the bus at the time is unclear.
The U.S. Army Europe said it had no immediate information on the incident but was checking into it.
The airport,which is 7.5 miles south west of the city of Frankfurt, was today sealed off by police and army. .
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