German police said that there is “no evidence” of links to the Islamic State extremist group found in the room of the 18-year-old suspected of fatally shooting nine people in Munich, but have pointed to an "obvious link" to Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik.
The alleged shooter was identified as David Ali Sonboly, a German-Iranian man born and raised in Munich, who authorities said had a history of mental illness.
Sonboly was found dead about 1 kilometer from the Olympia shopping mall where the killings occurred, apparently shot in the head by his own hand, police said.
RFE/RL's Current Time TV correspondent Shahida Yakub, who is in Munich, said the area where the shooting rampage occurred was "absolutely deserted."
Yakub said most of the few people who were in the area appeared to be in "utter distress."
"Every single shop or cafeteria or anything related to business is shut down on the street, except the pharmacy," Yakub added. "People [are] in a state of shock, you see residents crying in a state of utter disbelief about what happened."
'Classic Act By A Deranged Person'
Munich police chief Hubertus Andrae told a news conference on July 23 that the crime and the perpetrator had “absolutely no” link to the issue of the influx of refugees to Germany.
Andrae described the attack as a "classic act by a deranged person."
Andrae said that the gunman -- whose name has been withheld by police -- had been obsessed with books and articles about mass killings “linked to maniacs.”
Munich prosecutor Steinkraus Koch said the suspect had a book titled: "Rampage in Head: Why Students Kill."
Police say there is an “obvious link” between the Munich attack and the massacre five years ago of 77 people by Breivik.
The July 22 Munich attack coincided with the fifth anniversary of the attack in Norway.
Koch said the gunman had suffered from depression and had reportedly undergone psychiatric treatment.
Munich police investigator Robert Heimberger said the 18-year-old was armed with a 9mm Glock pistol and had 300 rounds.
The mayor of Munich, Dieter Reiter, has declared a day of mourning for the victims.
Reiter said the city is "shocked and aghast at this terrible act."
There are three Turks and three young Kosovars among the nine victims.
Kosovo President Hashim Thaci announced that July 24 will be a day of mourning in Kosovo, honoring the three youngsters originally from Kosovo killed last night in Munich, and “in solidarity with the German people."
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Video Captures Munich Shooting Rampage
WATCH: Video Captures Munich Shooting Rampage
Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to meet with her security council on July 23 to address the shooting.
Asked whether the attack could have been prevented, Merkel’s chief of staff Peter Altmaier said: "You can only have absolute security in an absolute surveillance state, and nobody wants that, it would be the opposite of our free western European way of life."
Tehran has condemned the attack calling terrorism “a disgrace of modern times,” without commenting on the suspect.
"We are mourning with the German people and the government and condemn the events in Munich," Bahram Ghasemi, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, was quoted by ISNA news agency as saying.
It was the third major act of violence against civilians in Western Europe in eight days. The previous attacks, in the French resort city of Nice and on a train in Bavaria, were claimed by the Islamic State group.