UPDATE Turkey condemns German shootings

UPDATE WITH TURKEY'S RULING PARTY SPOKESMAN'S STATEMENT AND NEW HEADLINE, NEW LEDE

By Davut Demircan and Fahri Aksut

ANKARA (AA) - In the wake of a mass shooting in western Germany apparently targeting migrants, Turkey expects German authorities to work hard to solve the case, said Turkey’s presidential spokesman on Thursday.

“Turkey expects German authorities to make maximum effort to enlighten the case,” said Ibrahim Kalin on Twitter, calling racism a "collective cancer."

Kalin also extended condolences to the victims' families and a quick recovery to those injured in the shootings, which killed at least nine people at two cafes in the western town of Hanau, near Frankfurt.

The ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party also reacted to the attack, saying it was another example of the "savagery" of racism and fascism.

"This terrible attack is a new act of savagery by racism and fascism, which has taken over Europe step by step," AK Party spokesman Omer Celik said Thursday on Twitter.

"This fascism seen in the political sphere alongside hostility against Islam, Turkey and immigrants has an agenda that wants to destroy the political values of Europe," he said.

Describing such groups as the "Daesh/ISIS of Europe," Celik said racists sought to revive the atrocities caused by anti-Semitism.

"All European countries, particularly Germany, should take this threat seriously. Invisible Berlin walls are rising every day in Europe. Democracies are under threat. Liberties and human rights are under threat," he said.

Celik underlined that Turkey expected Germany to uncover the underground groups backing such "murderers," which he said was as important as punishing the perpetrators themselves.

He urged for an "all-out struggle" against racism and Islamophobia, saying that anything less would fail to "protect the future."

Turkey’s Ambassador to Berlin Ali Kemal Aydin told reporters that five Turkish nationals were among those killed in the mass shooting,.

The apparent perpetrator, a far-right extremist identified as Tobias R., 43, and one other person were found dead in an apartment in Hanau, following a German special operations raid, German daily Bild reported.

Hanau is located around 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Frankfurt and has a population of nearly 100,000.