A suspect is in custody after six people were shot and killed Monday at a youth welfare facility in northern Germany, officials said.

The shooting happened around midday in Stade, a town of about 50,000 people near Hamburg. Authorities said the victims — four women and two men — all worked at the youth center or affiliated organizations. Five were pronounced dead at the scene, while a sixth died later at a hospital, according to The Associated Press, citing authorities.

Several others were wounded in the shooting, which may have been tied to a child custody dispute, the outlet reported.

2 PEOPLE ARE KILLED IN A KNIFE ATTACK IN GERMANY; SCHOLZ SAYS THERE MUST BE CONSEQUENCES

Police said the shooting happened at a facility on Dankersstrasse that houses pregnant women and young mothers with children, according to The Associated Press.

The suspect, a 45-year-old man, had an appointment at the facility earlier in the day before the shooting unfolded around midday. His 3-month-old daughter and the child’s mother were safe, Reuters reported.

The suspected gunman was arrested. Police said two others were also subject to police measures on suspicion of involvement but did not provide additional details, according to The Associated Press.

CHILDREN AMONG 6 WOUNDED IN MARYLAND MASS SHOOTING AS DETECTIVES WORK TO DETERMINE WHAT OCCURRED

Authorities said the victims — four women and two men — all worked at the youth center or affiliated organizations.  (News5/Reuters)

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was «deeply shocked» by the violence at a place meant to protect women and children.

«The horrific act of violence in Stade claimed the lives of six people today. I am deeply shaken by the extent of the violence in a place that is meant to provide protection,» Steinmeier said. 

«My condolences go to the families of the dead and injured, who must endure so much pain. My thanks go to all first responders and doctors.»

SUSPECT ‘NEUTRALIZED’ AFTER MONTREAL SHOOTING LEAVES AT LEAST 2 DEAD INCLUDING OFFICER

Police warned people to avoid the area after the shooting but later said there was no danger to the public. (News5/Reuters)

Police warned people to avoid the area after the shooting but later said there was no danger to the public. Investigators were still collecting evidence Monday evening, Reuters reported.

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Mass shootings in Germany are rare.

Earlier this year, a car plowed into a pedestrian zone in Leipzig, Germany, killing two people and leaving several others seriously injured.

Stade Police could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.

Un video difundido en las últimas horas muestra un tenso intercambio entre el ministro del Interior venezolano, Diosdado Cabello, y un integrante de un equipo estadounidense de búsqueda y rescate que trabajaba entre los escombros en La Guaira, una de las zonas más afectadas por los terremotos que sacudieron el norte de Venezuela.

En la grabación, viralizada a través de las redes sociales, se escucha al rescatista repetir con firmeza “Back up, back up” (“Retroceda, retroceda”) mientras intenta despejar el área donde, según afirma, todavía podría haber una persona con vida bajo los restos de una estructura colapsada.

“Hay alguien justo aquí que está gritando auxilio”, le dice el integrante del equipo estadounidense a Cabello mientras señala un punto específico entre los escombros donde se desarrollaba el operativo.

El funcionario venezolano permanece en el perímetro de la zona de trabajo y responde: “Retrocede. De vuelta al camión. De vuelta al camión”. Durante varios segundos ninguno de los dos cede, en una escena que quedó registrada desde distintos ángulos.

Leé también: Últimas noticias de los sismos en Venezuela, minuto a minuto

En un segundo video, difundido posteriormente, vuelve a escucharse al rescatista insistir con la orden de retroceder. Antes de finalizar la discusión expresa su malestar: “No estoy feliz con esta situación”. En otra parte del registro también pregunta: “¿No quieres que vaya y ayude a la persona que está allí?”.

Los videos se viralizaron rápidamente en X, Instagram y otras plataformas, donde numerosos usuarios interpretaron el episodio como una interferencia en las tareas de rescate y cuestionaron la actuación del ministro venezolano.

Sin embargo, también circuló una versión diferente de lo ocurrido: el periodista oficialista Darvinson Rojas publicó un video en el que sostuvo que Cabello no estaba impidiendo el operativo de búsqueda.

Según explicó, el ministro solicitó que una camioneta utilizada por el equipo estadounidense permaneciera apagada para evitar que el ruido del motor dificultara la detección de posibles sobrevivientes atrapados bajo los escombros. De acuerdo con esa versión, incluso se ofreció a empujar el vehículo para desplazarlo sin necesidad de encenderlo.

Estados Unidos participa del operativo internacional desplegado tras la catástrofe mediante el Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), el equipo especializado de respuesta ante desastres de la Agencia de Estados Unidos para el Desarrollo Internacional (USAID).

Washington difundió imágenes oficiales de la llegada a Venezuela de un avión militar C-17 Globemaster III que transportó personal especializado, perros entrenados para búsqueda y rescate, maquinaria y equipamiento destinado a colaborar con las tareas en las zonas devastadas.

Leé también: De los edificios destruidos al drama de quienes buscan a sus familiares: así quedó la zona más golpeada por los terremotos

La llegada del contingente estuvo acompañada por el anuncio de nueva ayuda estadounidense para la emergencia, que se suma a un paquete inicial de 150 millones de dólares destinado a las tareas de socorro.

Mientras continúan las operaciones de rescate, el último balance oficial elevó a al menos 1450 la cifra de muertos y a 3150 la de heridos. Además, las autoridades reportaron 12.721 familias damnificadas.

Leé también: Buscan a un nene argentino que quedó atrapado entre los escombros de un edificio tras los terremotos en Venezuela

La Organización Internacional para las Migraciones (OIM) estimó que hasta 6,76 millones de personas pudieron verse afectadas por los terremotos de magnitud 7,2 y 7,5. También se registraron más de 430 réplicas, daños totales en 189 edificios y parciales en otros 585, además de afectaciones en 38 hospitales y 44 centros comerciales.

El Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD) calculó pérdidas preliminares por unos 6700 millones de dólares. En el operativo participan 2624 rescatistas internacionales, 137 perros especializados y 7876 voluntarios locales, mientras distintos países continúan enviando ayuda humanitaria.

Justice Samuel Alito cautioned on Monday that the Supreme Court’s decision to allow ballots received after Election Day to be counted could lead large sections of the public to view elections as illegitimate.

While Alito had legal concerns with the majority’s ruling, arguing that they misinterpreted when the «electorate’s choice» occurs, he closed his dissent by issuing a practical warning. Allowing late-arriving ballots to determine the outcomes of elections long after Election Day will, according to Alito, severely damage the trust Americans place in their electoral system.

«Not only is today’s decision inconsistent with statutory text, legal context, historical practice, and precedent; it also threatens to produce lamentable consequences,» he wrote. «The majority’s holding spawns a slurry of troubling election-law questions and risks further undermining Americans’ confidence in election integrity.»

SUPREME COURT RULES ON MAIL-IN BALLOTS RECEIVED AFTER ELECTION DAY

Alito went on to describe a hypothetical scenario where the outcome of a presidential election hinges on a single state that allows late-arriving mail ballots to be counted. In the scenario described by the justice, one candidate leads by 15,000 votes on election night only for the opposing candidate to slowly gain votes and, a few days before electors are scheduled to vote, pull ahead by just under 100 votes.

«If the apparent winner the morning after the election ends up losing due to late arriving ballots, charges of a rigged election could explode,» Justice Brett Kavanaugh also noted during the case’s oral arguments.

Alito didn’t simply claim that the ruling could affect how people view elections; he argued that it could open the door for fraud.

SUPREME COURT RULES ON MAIL-IN BALLOTS RECEIVED AFTER ELECTION DAY

The US Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on, April 1, 2026. President Donald Trump is fighting to end automatic citizenship for children born to parents who are in the country unlawfully or on temporary visas, part of his broader crackdown on undocumented immigrants and a change that could overturn more than a century of legal precedent. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

«Today’s decision leaves open opportunities for voter fraud that may further undermine Americans’ faith in the integrity of this country’s elections. Diverse sources have recognized that mail-in ballots increase the potential for fraud,» Alito continued. «In 2005, a committee chaired by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker found that absentee voting was ‘the largest source of potential voter fraud’ in American elections.»

While instances of voter fraud carried out using mail-in ballots have been recorded, there is no evidence that widespread fraud occurred in the 2020 or 2024 presidential elections. 

Democrats, meanwhile, argue that allowing states to process ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but arrive afterward, is essential to ensuring that all eligible voters have a say in who governs them.

SUPREME COURT RULES ON MAIL-IN BALLOTS RECEIVED AFTER ELECTION DAY

Washington, DC – July 27 : Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) poses for portraits on Capitol Hill on Thursday, July 27, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images) (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

«I’m relieved the Supreme Court is not interfering with Washington’s mail-in ballot system,» Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., wrote on X. «If you work a shift job, have young kids, or live out in the woods, you can’t just knock off for the day to go stand in line at a polling place. For decades, Washington’s secure vote by mail system has made it easy for these folks to participate in democracy and make their voice heard.»

The majority, however, did not address whether or not allowing late ballots to be counted was good policy, stating that such a consideration is outside the scope of what the court has authority to rule on.

«Finally, plaintiffs assert that requiring ballots to be received by Election Day protects election integrity and increases voter confidence in election results,» Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote. «As we have said time and again, however, policy arguments are properly directed to legislatures, not courts.»