Car drives into crowd in German city of Mannheim, killing two

By Alfio Marino and Rachel More

MANNHEIM, Germany (Reuters) -A car drove into a crowd in the western German city of Mannheim on Monday, killing at least two people and seriously injuring several others, local media reported, overshadowing carnival celebrations in the region where police had been on alert for attacks.

Police detained the car's driver and later said he had acted alone, with no broader threat seen for the public.

The suspect is a 40-year-old German man from the neighbouring state of Rhineland-Palatinate, broadcaster SWR reported, citing the state interior minister of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Thomas Strobl.

The ministry did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment.

People were seen lying on the ground at the scene and at least two were being resuscitated, a witness told Reuters.

It was unclear whether the driver acted deliberately or if there was any connection to Germany's carnival celebrations, which culminated on Rose Monday with a number of parades, although not in Mannheim, which held its main event on Sunday.

Police declined to comment on the suspect's identity, saying this was a focus of their investigation.

Security has been a key concern in Germany following a string of violent attacks in recent weeks, including deadly car rammings in Magdeburg in December and in 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 the events in Cologne and Nuremberg.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser cancelled her attendance at the parade in Cologne on Monday, Germany's biggest, due to the events in Mannheim, a spokesperson for the minister said.

Rose Monday, the culmination of the annual carnival season celebrated in Germany's mainly Catholic western and southern regions, features parades of floats that often include comical or satirical references to current affairs.

This year's carnival has included floats featuring U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, tech billionaire Elon Musk and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Dressed in traditional jester costumes and sporting colourful makeup, thousands of partygoers danced through the streets of Cologne, Dusseldorf and other cities in western and southern Germany ahead of the fasting season of Lent.

(Reporting by Alfio Marino in Mannheim and Rachel More in Berlin, writing by Friederike Heine, editing by Thomas Seythal, Ros Russell and Andrew Heavens)