 "2 dead, several injured in Germany’s Mannheim as car rams into pedestrians in shopping street")
At least two people were killed and several injured after a car was ploughed into a crowd in Mannheim, Germany.
The Independent quoted an eyewitness as saying that the car knocked out several pedestrians in Planken, the main shopping street in the city.
Germany’s outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz termed the incident 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,” Scholz said in a post on X, adding: “We cannot accept this.”
News agency AFP reported that one arrest has been made in the case. The suspect was identified as a 40-year-old German national.
Police spokesperson Stefan Wilhelm in a statement said, “We can confirm that one perpetrator was arrested”. “We can’t yet give information on whether there were further perpetrators,” he added.
The police later said they had no immediate reason to suspect a political motive behind the incident.
Police have advised locals to avoid the area and a probe has been launched.
“There is currently a police operation in Mannheim city center, in the area around Wasserturm/Plankenkopf. Police and rescue services are on their way,” the spokesperson for Mannheim police earlier stated.
Earlier, the police described the case as a “life-threatening situation” in the centre of the German city.
Local media reported that a black SUV drove at high speed into a group of people, travelling from the centrally located Paradeplatz square towards the city’s landmark water tower.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsMannheim University Hospital says it has prepared everything for a possible mass casualty incident, German news agency dpa reported. The hospital has implemented its disaster and emergency plan to prepare for the care of the injured.
In response to the incident, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser cancelled her participation in the carnival street parade in Cologne.
“The focus is now on saving lives, treating the injured and the initial investigations by the authorities in Mannheim,” an interior ministry spokesperson told dpa.
The incident comes as large crowds have gathered in Germany’s Rhineland to mark the carnival season and witness parades.
Notably, Mannheim was previously rocked in May 2024 due to a stabbing incident.
Germany has seen a rise in violent attacks over the past weeks, including a car ramming incident in December in the city of Magdeburg and another such incident in Munich in February.
Owing to the worrying trend, police across Germany are on high alert due to the carnival parades. The security was further beefed up following threats made by social media accounts linked to the Islamic State militant group targeting events in Cologne and Nuremberg.
(With inputs from agencies)
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