A car drove into a crowd in the German city of Mannheim, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Two people were killed and several are seriously injured.
According to witnesses to local media, an SUV drove into a crowd at a high speed near Mannheim's central square. The incident happened near Paradeplatz, in a pedestrian zone, where a fairground market was going on at the time, with dozens of food stalls and rides.
At least two persons were killed and several are seriously injured, stated the Baden-Württemberg state interior minister Thomas Strobl (CDU). The arrested suspect is a 40-year-old German from the Rheinland-Pfalz region, he added.
It is not yet clear whether the incident was accidental or intentional. The police did not make statements about the exact number of victims or the severity of their injuries, but several people are reportedly in bad shape.
Police and emergency services are at the scene en masse. They are asking people in Mannheim – home to some 300,000 residents – to stay indoors if possible, and avoid the city centre, without specifying what exactly is going on.
Bürgerinnen und Bürger werden gebeten, aufgrund der polizeilichen Einsatzlage die Mannheimer Innenstadt zu vermeiden und großräumig zu umfahren.
— Polizei Mannheim (@PolizeiMannheim) March 3, 2025
Heavily armed officers can be seen in the city centre, according to posts on social media.
Previous attacks with cars in Germany
Over two weeks ago, a car drove into a crowd in Munich, in the state of Bayern (Bavaria). A two-year-old girl and her mother were killed, and several others were injured in the incident. The suspect was a 24-year-old Afghan national. A day after the events, the German Prosecutor's Office spoke of an attack "with Islamist and religious motives".
In December, there was a car attack at the Magdeburg Christmas market. Six people were killed and more than 200 injured.
