Five shot dead in Germany, two suspects detained

Five people were shot dead in a town in northern Germany and police said they had detained two people, including the attacker.

The cause of the incident in Stade, close to the port city of Hamburg, was not immediately clear, according to a police spokesman.

The role of the second man in custody is unclear at this time, a police spokesman told Reuters, adding that no other suspects were at large.

It is unclear how many people have been injured, he said, adding that the dead were all adults.

According to local media reports, the incident occurred near a youth center in the center of Stade, which has a population of just under 50,000 in western Hamburg. The spokesman denied this but declined to provide further details.

Following the incident, police warned citizens to stay away from the area.