Pepper spray, gunshot scare, knives: What sparked the Moers gurdwara clash that left 11 injured

A clash inside a gurdwara in Germany’s Moers city left at least 11 people injured on Sunday, triggering a heavy police response with special units and even aerial monitoring deployed to bring the situation under control.

Early indications suggest the violence was not sudden. Authorities believe it may be tied to ongoing tensions within the gurdwara over its management and finances, including disagreements around the election of a new committee and control of community funds.

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How the violence unfolded inside the gurdwara

The incident took place at Gurdwara Singh Sabha in North Rhine-Westphalia and quickly spiralled into a full-blown fight. Visuals circulating online showed chaotic scenes from inside the premises, with groups clashing using sharp weapons such as knives and kirpans.

Eyewitness accounts cited by German newspaper Bild suggest the situation spiralled just before prayers. A 56-year-old witness said, “Shortly before the prayer service, attackers used pepper spray, then one fired a pistol. I also saw knives.”

Another account indicated that panic gripped the congregation, forcing people to run out of the building in distress. One witness told Neue Ruhr Zeitung (NRZ), “Several people ran out of the building, some of them barefoot.”

Shocking scenes from Gurdwara in Duisburg, Germany: Sikhs fighting inside, turbans in the air, kirpans (meant to protect the weak) turned on each other. A person in the video says it started over Golak (our religious offerings!) and The previous management, who lost the election,… pic.twitter.com/pS3wFkuKdg

— Ravinder Singh Robin (@rsrobin1) April 20, 2026

Massive police deployment, suspect detained

Authorities rushed nearly 100 police personnel to the site as the situation worsened. According to reports, a Special Task Force (SEK) unit from Dusseldorf was deployed, and a helicopter was used to monitor the area amid initial reports of gunfire.

Emergency services treated multiple injured persons at the scene, most of whom suffered head injuries. Police confirmed that one individual has been taken into custody, while a search for a suspected gunman did not yield results.

Investigators found spent cartridge cases at the site, raising the possibility that a blank-firing weapon was used during the clash. However, the gun itself has not been recovered so far.

Probe turns to internal dispute

Early findings point to deeper tensions within the gurdwara’s management. The conflict is believed to involve a long-running rift between former and current committee members, largely centred on leadership control and the handling of community funds.

Elaborating on the tensions, the eyewitness told Bild, “The background is a dispute between former committee members and the current ones. It also involves money belonging to the community. There have been problems and trouble for quite some time. But mainly it’s about influence and who has the say here in the temple.”

German authorities have launched a detailed investigation into both the incident and the underlying issues. A police spokesperson told NRZ that enquiries are “proceeding in all directions”.