Man shoots dead nine people at shisha bar

This is the face of a suspected far-right extremist who allegedly slaughtered nine people - many of them of an immigrant background - in attacks now being treated as terrorism.

Most of the victims - including some of Kurdish descent - were shot dead at two shisha bars in the German town of Hanau, just east of Frankfurt, at about 10pm on Wednesday.

The 43-year-old suspect - named by German media as Tobias R - left a 24-page letter and video in which he confessed to the killings and expressed a far-right motive for the massacre.

A manhunt for the gunman ended when police found the bodies of the suspect and his 72-year-old mother inside a flat nearby. Both had been shot.

It is suspected that the gunman fled in a car - in which ammunition was found - and killed his mother before taking his own life.

Tobias, a German citizen, posted a number of videos on social media in the days before the massacre, including one clip where he ranted about a bizarre conspiracy theory in fluent English, and another where he spoke out against migrants.

A neighbour told Focus Online that Tobias seemed "completely inconspicuous" and "normal".

Speaking on Thursday morning, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said "racism is a poison" and the shootings were likely linked to right-ring extremism.