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Germany: Petrol station worker shot dead following mask row as man arrested on suspicion of murder

A man was fatally shot in the head by a customer after asking him to put on a face mask in a petrol station while he was trying to buy beer, according to authorities.

By Lucy Mansfield, news reporter

Tuesday 21 September 2021 15:53, UK

A police car is parked at a gas station in the city center. An employee of the gas station had been shot by a man armed with a pistol on Saturday evening. The employee had pointed out to the suspect that masks were mandatory, as he wanted to buy beer without a mask. Later, the man returned and shot the victim. PIC:AP
Image: The scene where the cashier was fatally shot on Saturday night. Pic: AP
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A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a petrol station cashier was killed following a row over a face mask in Germany.

The 20-year-old worker was shot in the head by a customer in the western town of Idar-Oberstein on Saturday evening after asking him to wear a mask to comply with COVID rules before he would serve him, according to officials.

The customer, who reportedly wanted to buy beer, had refused to put on a face covering and left the petrol station.

But he returned half an hour later wearing a mask, which he pulled down when he approached the cashier who again referred to the restrictions, and then the customer opened fire, said authorities.

Flowers, candles and messages to the victim lie at a gas station downtown. An employee of the gas station had been shot by a man armed with a pistol on Saturday evening. The clerk had advised the suspect that masks were mandatory because the man wanted to buy beer without a mask. Later, the man returned and shot the victim. PIC:AP
Image: Flowers, candles and messages are left by members of the public at the petrol station. Pic: AP

"The perpetrator pulled a revolver and shot the cashier in the head from the front. The victim fell to the floor and was immediately dead," prosecutor Kai Fuhrmann told reporters.

The 49-year-old suspect, who is not being named in line with the country's privacy laws, then fled the scene but handed himself into police the following morning, according to authorities.

Police said the suspect told officers he acted "out of anger" and "he further stated during interrogation that he rejected the measures against the coronavirus".

More on Covid-19

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A requirement to wear a mask is among the measures in place in Germany to stop the spread of the virus.

There have been regular protests against Germany's pandemic restrictions over the past year.

21 September 2021, Rhineland-Palatinate, Idar-Oberstein: Flowers, candles and messages to the victim lie at a gas station downtown. An employee of the gas station had been shot by a man armed with a pistol on Saturday evening. The clerk had advised the suspect that masks were mandatory because the man wanted to buy beer without a mask. Later, the man returned and shot the victim. PIC:AP
Image: The shooting happened in the western town of Idar-Oberstein in Germany. Pic: AP

The loose-knit Querdenken movement, that includes people who oppose masks and vaccines, conspiracy theorists and far-right extremists, are said to be partly responsible for the protests.

Facebook last week removed almost 150 accounts and pages linked to the Querdenken movement under a new policy that targeted groups that spread misinformation or incite violence, but who don't fit into the platform's existing categories of bad actors.

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