Erdoğan says Turkey ‘keeping a close eye’ on Germany after Hanau shooting

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Feb. 20 said that Turkey is "keeping a close eye" on developments in Germany, after attacks in two bars in Hanau, Germany that killed nine people, including five Turkish nationals.

"Turkey, and especially the Turkish Embassy in Berlin, is carefully monitoring the process," Erdoğan said.

The president's remarks came during the inauguration ceremony of the new Presidential Library in capital Ankara.

Turkey expects German authorities to do the necessary thing to shed light on the attack's all aspects, Erdoğan said.

He also extended condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the Hanau shooting.      

Turkey's Ambassador to Berlin Ali Kemal Aydın told reporters on Feb. 20 that five Turkish nationals were among those killed in the mass shooting.     

The perpetrator, who targeted migrants at two cafes in Hanau, near Frankfurt, was identified by security forces as Tobias R., 43, according to the German daily Bild.     

He and one other person were found dead in an apartment following a German special operations raid.     

Turkey calls on Europe to unite against xenophobia

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry said that the shooting of nine people in Hanau is a new and grave manifestation of rising racism and hostility to Islam.

"It is not possible to look at them as an individual attack. The insensitivity shown in the fight against increasing xenophobia in Europe causes new attacks to be added every day," the ministry said in a written statement.

The ministry stressed now it's time to stop these attacks. "Otherwise, racism and xenophobia will be able to reach much more...