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Six Italians shot dead in Germany Six Italians shot dead in Germany
(about 6 hours later)
Six Italian men have been shot dead near a train station in the western German city of Duisburg, police say. Six Italian men have been shot dead near a train station in Duisburg in western Germany, an attack reports say could be linked to a criminal feud.
Five bodies were discovered in two cars parked outside an Italian restaurant and the sixth man died as he was being taken to hospital in an ambulance. Five bodies were found in two cars outside an Italian restaurant, while a sixth man died on the way to hospital.
The bodies were found at about 0230 (0030 GMT). A police spokesman said the victims, who were aged between 16 and 39, had all been shot in the head. A German police spokesman said the victims, aged between 16 and 39, had all been shot in the head.
Authorities say the motive for the killings remains unclear. All six were linked to a clan involved in a long-running and deadly feud in Italy's Calabria region, police said.
The dispute is known as the San Luca feud after the village where it began back in 1991.
This feud marks a second chapter outside the territory where these clans usually operate - this time even outside our national borders Marco MinnitiItalian Deputy Interior Minister
Police sources said all six men were linked to the notoriously violent Calabria-based 'Ndrangheta crime group.
Italian Interior Minister Giuliano Amato said one of the victims was thought to be one of those originally involved in the San Luca dispute.
"This man probably feared that something could have happened to him, as it is reported he was looking for guns to protect himself before the shooting happened," he said.
"It is very likely that he was caught by those who were seeking revenge against him, before the police got to him."
Reports say the man who was taken to hospital did not say anything before he died.Reports say the man who was taken to hospital did not say anything before he died.
Police appealPolice appeal
Police spokesman Reinhard Pape said they had been alerted at 0200 after a woman passer-by heard gunshots and stopped a police patrol car that happened to be in the area. The bodies were found at about 0230 (0030 GMT).
Police spokesman Reinhard Pape said officers had been alerted at 0200 after a woman passer-by heard gunshots and stopped a police patrol car that happened to be in the area.
About 30 minutes later, police officers found four bodies in a car parked near an Italian restaurant about 100m from the city's station.About 30 minutes later, police officers found four bodies in a car parked near an Italian restaurant about 100m from the city's station.
The other two victims were found in a small van nearby. The other two victims were found in a small van nearby. Witnesses said they saw two people in the area at the time.
Mr Pape said the van was registered in Duisburg, while the car was registered in the south-western town of Pforzheim. The killings are a shocking development in the relatively peaceful city of Duisburg, where shootings are rare, says the BBC's Tristana Moore, in Berlin.
Numerous gun cartridges were found at the crime scene, but the victims appeared to be unarmed, Mr Pape added. Italy's Deputy Interior Minister, Marco Minniti, said the apparent score-settling in a foreign country was "unprecedented" and "an element of great concern".
Witnesses said they saw two people in the area at the time. "This feud marks a second chapter outside the territory where these clans usually operate - this time even outside our national borders," he told a news conference in Rome.
Police have now sealed off the station at Duisburg and say they are exploring all lines of inquiry. "The chief of Italian police has already decided to send Italian investigators to Germany to co-operate with the German authorities on this massacre."
The BBC's Tristana Moore in Berlin says there is speculation that an organised crime gang such as the Italian Mafia may have been responsible. Police are examining surveillance video from the railway station, and are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.
The killings are a shocking development in the relatively peaceful city of Duisburg, where shootings are rare, our correspondent adds. They stress that all lines of inquiry remain open.