At least one dead after car rams pedestrians in Germany – media
German police have arrested the driver of a vehicle which drove into several pedestrians in the city of Mannheim on Monday, killing at least two people, according to local media. Police have confirmed one fatality.
Witnesses reportedly said that the incident, which left dozens of people injured, was intentional. However, police have not commented on the suspect’s possible motives.
The incident happened in a square in the city center usually used for parades, though no event was taking place on Monday, news outlets have said. Law enforcement has urged people to avoid the general area.
Vehicular attacks are a hot button issue in Germany due to potential links to terrorism and perceived threats posed by migrants.
Last month, an Afghan national plowed through a rally in Munich leaving dozens of people injured. A two-year-old girl and her mother later died in a hospital from injuries they suffered.
In December, a 50-year-old Saudi psychiatrist drove his car into a crowd at the Magdeburg Christmas market, resulting in five fatalities, including a child, and leaving over 200 people injured.
In December 2016, Berlin was the scene of the country’s worst Islamic-inspired terrorist attack to date. A Tunisian man at the wheel of a stolen semi-trailer truck drove into throngs of people visiting a Christmas market. Twelve people were killed and more than a hundred were injured.
Mannheim is the second-largest city in the southwestern German state of Baden-Wurttemberg.
