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Former student shoots 6 at school

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BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- A former student strapped explosives to his body and went on a violent rampage at a school in western Germany, shooting and wounding six people -- most of them students -- before killing himself, police said.

Police were able to evacuate several students before finding the man's body, rigged with explosives, on the school's second floor.

Police sealed off the school in Emsdetten, a town of 35,000 near the Dutch border, to search the grounds. Dozens of students and parents, some of them crying, comforted each other nearby.

The 18-year-old had recently posted a farewell letter on his personal Web page saying he planned to kill himself in a spectacular way, police chief Hubert Wimber said.

The Web site also contained photos of the man with weapons and postings expressing his hatred for humans, Wimber said. (Watch as armed man storms school in Germany -- 0:44)

Two guns were also found beside the attacker's body. Police were investigating if the gunman shot himself or died from an explosion. Wimber noted that none of the police fired any shots inside the school.

Police were also searching his car parked outside the school for explosives, he said.

"Based on the note, he appears to have acted out of general frustration and a feeling his life had lost all meaning," state prosecutor Wolfgang Schwer told a news conference, according to Reuters.

"Everything suggests he was acting alone and not linked to broader extremist groups."

One teacher said she heard the melee as she walked into the teacher's room.

"All of a sudden I heard bangs," said Gerd Endemann, according to a translation from The Associated Press. "It wasn't gunfire, but probably a smoke bomb. Then students came running into the teacher's room saying 'Someone's shooting.'"

Students at the school were between the ages of 10 and 16, police spokesman Klaus Laackmann said.

The man entered the school at about 9:30 a.m. (0830 GMT) and began firing shots, he said, adding that the man was also carrying explosives.

Bomb specialists were sent to ensure there were no explosives at the school, Laackmann said.

Five of those wounded -- three boys, a girl and a janitor -- were shot in the stomach, arms, legs or hands, but none of their injuries were life-threatening.

Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

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