17 hours ago 2

Two dead as car drives into crowd in German city of Mannheim

Two people were killed and several others seriously injured when a motorist rammed a car into a crowd of people in the German city of Mannheim on Monday.

A 40-year-old German citizen, who reportedly has mental health issues, was arrested by police. The suspect was taken to hospital, where he was receiving treatment on Monday evening.

CCTV footage of the suspected attack showed a black Ford driving at high speed towards Paradeplatz, a pedestrianised square in Mannheim’s city centre.

Thomas Strobl, the interior minister of Baden-Wurttemberg state, confirmed on Monday that “two people died from their injuries and several others are seriously injured.”

Officials at Mannheim’s University Hospital said two adults and a child were receiving “acute medical care” after they were struck by the vehicle.

The driver’s motive was unclear, though it comes after a string of terrorist incidents in Germany involving knife and car-ramming attacks in crowded areas.

While the suspect arrested in Mannheim was a German citizen, similar recent attacks in the cities of Magdeburg and Munich are alleged to have been committed by refugees or rejected asylum seekers.

Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, wrote on social media: “Once again we mourn with the relatives of the victims of a senseless act of violence and fear for the injured. We cannot accept this.”

Meanwhile, Friedrich Merz, the incoming chancellor, said: “The crime in Mannheim has shocked us. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.”

He added: “The incident – like the terrible crimes of the past few months – is a strong reminder to us: we must do everything we can to prevent such crimes. I would like to thank all the emergency services who helped quickly.”

Credit: Social Media

One eyewitness said it was like “all hell breaking loose” when the car crashed into people in Paradeplatz, which is near a shopping centre and the city’s famous 19th-century water tower.

Speaking to Die Welt, a German newspaper, they added that large numbers of police officers and a helicopter quickly arrived at the scene – as members of the public ran “in panic.”

Photographs of the car used in the suspected attack showed a black Ford with a smashed windscreen and severely damaged bumper.

The car-ramming occurred amid tight security in Germany during its spring carnival season, which sees parades and street parties across the country.

Last month, a rejected Afghan asylum seeker allegedly drove a car into a trade union demonstration in the southern city of Munich, killing a two-year-old girl and her mother.

In December, a car-ramming attack targeted a Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg, killing six people and wounding hundreds.

In August, three people were killed and eight injured in a knife attack in Solingen allegedly carried out by a failed Syrian asylum seeker suspected of being a member of Islamic State.

Mannheim was also the scene of a stabbing attack at an anti-Islam rally last May in which a policeman was killed and five others wounded.

05:53 PM GMT

That’s all for today.

We will bring you further updates soon.

05:52 PM GMT

Pictured: The smashed windscreen of the car which drove into crowd

Forensic experts work on a car which drove into a crowd in Mannheim, Germany

05:42 PM GMT

Ten being treated for injuries

Five people are seriously wounded and another five suffered minor injuries, local authorities said.

05:34 PM GMT

No immediate ‘political motive’ found in car incident, say police

German police said they had no immediate reason to suspect a political motive after a car struck a crowd in Mannheim, killing two people.

“At the current stage of the investigation, there is no suspicion of a political background,” police said in a statement after arresting a 40-year-old German suspect.

05:23 PM GMT

Scholz calls car ploughing into crowd ‘senseless act of violence’

Olaf Scholz, German Chancellor, on Monday condemned a deadly incident in which a driver ploughed a car into a crowd as a “senseless act of violence”.

“Once again we mourn with the relatives of the victims of a senseless act of violence and fear for the injured,” Mr Scholz said in a post on X, adding: “We cannot accept this.”

05:18 PM GMT

More details emerge about the deadly incident:

Thomas Strobl, the interior minister for Baden-Wuerttember, confirmed that the 40-year-old German suspect is from Rhineland-Palatinate, a state that borders Mannheim.

Mr Strobl added that there is no evidence the incident is related to the carnival event that was taking place nearby.

He also emphasised that the investigation was still in its early stages and that there does not appear to be any further danger to the public.

04:41 PM GMT

Driver of car had ‘history of mental illness’

The driver of the car was known to local authorities for having mental illness issues, German regional broadcaster SWR reported.

04:40 PM GMT

Two adults and child receiving ‘acute medical care’

A Mannheim hospital said that two adults and a child are receiving “acute medical care”.

The Mannheim University Hospital has been forced to set up an emergency facility in the cafeteria to deal with the number of injured people, the statement adds.

04:26 PM GMT

CCTV shows new angle of car before it hits crowd

Credit: X/@jon_delorraine

04:15 PM GMT

Merz calls incident a ‘shocking crime’

Friedrich Merz, the incoming German Chancellor, has reacted to the incident in a post on social media.

Mr Merz wrote on X: “The crime in Mannheim has shocked us. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. The incident - like the terrible crimes of the past few months - is a strong reminder to us: we must do everything we can to prevent such crimes.

“I would like to thank all the emergency services who helped quickly.”

04:09 PM GMT

German, 40, arrested

A 40-year-old German has been arrested over the incident in Mannheim, the state ministry has said.

Earlier, we reported that a male suspect was receiving treatment in hospital.

04:07 PM GMT

Death toll rises to two

A car that drove into a crowd in Mannheim killed two people, authorities said, updating the death toll.

“Two people died from their injuries and several others are seriously injured,” Baden-Wuerttemberg state’s Interior Minister Thomas Strobl said in a statement.

02:58 PM GMT

Pictured: Police secure the area around the suspect’s car

Police secure the area after a car drove into a crowd, in Mannheim

The driver of the vehicle has been arrested, police said

02:57 PM GMT

Suspect is German citizen

The suspect, who was arrested after the incident, is a German citizen, according to German news agency DPA.

He is receiving treatment in hospital.

02:28 PM GMT

Watch: People run from scene of Mannheim incident

Credit: Social media

02:19 PM GMT

Where did it take place?

02:16 PM GMT

Germany has suffered a wave of recent attacks

Police have not yet confirmed whether today’s incident was an attack or an accident.

However, Germany has suffered a wave of recent attacks, with cars used as deadly weapons.

Last month, a man drove a car into a trade union demonstration in the southern city of Munich, killing a two-year-old girl and her mother.

In December, a car-ramming attack targeted a Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg, killing six people and wounding hundreds.

In August, three people were killed and eight injured in a knife attack in Solingen. The suspect was a suspected member of the Islamic State group.

Mannheim was the scene of a stabbing attack at an anti-Islam rally last May in which a policeman was killed and five others wounded.

02:08 PM GMT

Forensics examine the suspected vehicle

Forensic officers examine the vehicle suspected of being driven into the crowd

01:57 PM GMT

Local hospital enacts emergency plan

The intensive care unit of Mannheim university hospital has declared a “disaster alert” and enacted its “disaster response” plan.

Eight trauma teams have been made available, both for adults and children.

“Operations that could be postponed and had not yet begun were immediately removed from the operating schedule in order to create additional operating capacity,” the hospital said.

01:55 PM GMT

Pictured: Police and firefighters at the scene

Police officers secure a street in the city center of Mannheim

Fire department and police officers stand by during a major operation in the city center

01:40 PM GMT

‘All hell broke loose’

A man, who was sitting at a nearby restaurant, said: “All hell broke loose”.

The eyewitness told German outlet Welt that there were police everywhere, including roofs, as helicopters circled the city and people ran away “in panic”.

“Everything is full of ambulances, everything is cordoned off,” the manager of a nearby food stall added.

01:36 PM GMT

What happened?

A black SUV drove at high speed into a group of people at 12.15pm (11.15am GMT), travelling from the centrally-located Paradeplatz square towards Mannheim’s landmark water tower, local media reported.

Witnesses reported seeing a driver knocking over several pedestrians on Planken, a pedestrianised shopping street.

Mannheim is a city of 300,000, south of Frankfurt.

01:29 PM GMT

The immediate aftermath of the incident:

Credit: Social Media

01:16 PM GMT

One dead, several injured, suspect arrested - police

One person is dead, others are injured and a suspect is in custody, according to police.

01:08 PM GMT

Incident comes weeks after Munich terror attack

The incident comes just weeks after a car was driven into a crowd of people in Munich, killing a 37-year-old woman and her two-year-old daughter in February.

An Afghan asylum seeker, named as Farhad N, was arrested over the attack.

12:58 PM GMT

‘You can only see injured people and the dead’, says witness

A carnival market had been underway in Mannheim’s city centre since Thursday, with over 60 food stalls and rides.

One seller at the market told the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper: “It is terrible here, nobody knows what happened, you only see injured people and the dead, and you don’t know what to do.”

Reports of fatalities have not been confirmed by authorities.

12:54 PM GMT

Public told to keep inside their homes in centre

Police in the Mannheim have asked the public to stay away from the downtown area and keep inside their homes.

12:50 PM GMT

Pictured: Emergency services at the scene

Emergency services and police stand at Paradeplatz in Mannheim, Germany, after a serious incident

12:46 PM GMT

Several people on ground, witnesses say

Several people were seen lying on the ground, with two people apparently being resuscitated, an eye witness told Reuters.

12:43 PM GMT

Large-scale police operation taking place

According to witnesses and local press, all the roads and bridges leading out of the city are being checked by police and a helicopter is circling above the city of 300,000.

Bild reports that the driver of the car has been arrested.