Zurich shooting: Three people injured at Islamic centre as suspect's body found nearby

Suspect's body found nearby hours after attack, police say

Three men have been badly injured after a gunman opened fire on people praying at an Islamic centre in Zurich.

The attacker entered the Islamic Centre where about a dozen worshippers were gathered at around 5:30pm on Monday (4:30pm GMT) and began firing, Zurich police said in a statement.

He “fired several shots at the worshippers,” police said, adding: “Three men, aged 30, 35 and 56, were injured, some seriously. The suspect then escaped from the mosque in the direction of Central Station."

The suspect was found dead near the scene hours after the attack, police said on Tuesday. His body was reportedly discovered on the river bank underneath a nearby bridge, and had been draped with a white sheet.

Witnesses described the gunman as a man aged about 30 wearing dark clothes and a dark woollen cap, according to Al Jazeera.

Zurich cantonal police said authorities had identified the suspect, but gave no details. A news conference was scheduled for 1pm GMT on Tuesday.

Police have urged witnesses who were in the area around the time of the shooting to come forward and said the motive for the shooting was still unclear.

Around a dozen people were inside the prayer hall at the time of the attack, the ATS news agency reported, adding a prayer service had been scheduled for 4:45pm local time.

The worshippers were mainly from North Africa, Somalia and Eritrea, according to ATS.

A number of Swiss mosques, including one near Zurich and the main one in Geneva, have in recent months been accused in local media of allowing or encouraging the “radicalisation” of their worshippers.

The shooting occurred within hours of an incident in Berlin in which 12 people were killed and nearly 50 injured when a lorry plowed into a Christmas market in the city.

Some social media users have said there has been a lack of attention on the mosque shooting.

One person wrote on Twitter: "Please don't forget the three people shot in a Mosque in Zurich yesterday as well, going about their day as well. Not all Muslims are bad."

Another, Anne Duumrat, meanwhile tweeted: "Do I keep missing UK media mention of Zurich mosque killings?", while Mélissa Fouché wrote: "We keep talking about Berlin but what about Zurich?"