At least two people were killed and several others injured when a car plowed into a crowd in the western city of Mannheim on Monday Germany, during carnival celebrations in the region where the police were on alert for possible attacks.
The driver of the car was taken into custody, and the police have not yet announced whether there are other suspects besides him. Police appealed to citizens to stay away from the city center.
Eyewitnesses testify that they saw people lying on the ground, and at least two people were resuscitated, writes Reuters.
The newspaper Bild, citing security sources, writes that two people were killed, and that 25 were injured.
It is unclear whether the driver drove into the crowd on purpose or if it had something to do with the carnival celebrations, which culminated on Monday.
A black car drove into a group of people at high speed, who were moving from the square in the city center towards the famous city water tower, the Mannheim24 news site reported.
Photo: Boris Roessler/dpa via APMannheim incident
Security has been a key concern in Germany following a spate of violent attacks in recent weeks, including deadly car attacks in Magdeburg in December and Munich last month, as well as a stabbing in Mannheim in May 2024.
Police were on high alert for this year's carnival parades after social media accounts linked to the Islamic State militant group called for attacks on events in Cologne and Nuremberg.
German Interior Minister Nancy Fesser canceled Monday's participation in the Cologne parade, Germany's largest, because of the events in Mannheim, the minister's spokesman said.
