German officials fear anti-mask radicalization after killing

Senior officials in Germany expressed shock Tuesday over the killing of a young gas station clerk who was shot dead at the weekend by a man opposed to the country's pandemic restrictions.

A 49-year-old German was arrested in the fatal shooting of the clerk Saturday in the western town of Idar-Oberstein. The suspect is being held on suspicion of murder.

Authorities said the man told officers he acted "out of anger" after being refused service by the clerk for not wearing a mask while trying to buy beer at the gas station.

"He further stated during interrogation that he rejected the measures against the coronavirus," the Trier police department said in a statement.

A requirement to wear masks in stores is among the measures in place in Germany to stop the spread of the virus.