Berlin shooting that injured four is believed linked to an organised crime group

An early morning shooting in Berlin that left four men seriously injured and triggered a large police manhunt is believed to be linked to organised crime groups, the public prosecutor’s office said.

The gunfire erupted in the western district of Kreuzberg around 4am (3am GMT) on Saturday, not from the headquarters of Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD).

Residents are believed to have alerted police to the incident. By the time the first responders arrived at the scene, the unidentified assailants had fled the scene.

Three injured men were found at the site of the shooting. A fourth wounded man jumped into a nearby canal, where rescuers pulled him out. The victims’ ages ranged from 30 to 42.

Several dozen armed police officers searched the area on foot and by helicopter. By late afternoon on Saturday the investigation had been turned over to the murder squad. There was no announcement of any arrests.

The Berlin Prosecutor General’s Office tweeted that “several suspects” were being investigated for attempted murder. It described the shooting as taking place “in the context of organised crime.”