Two killed after car hits bystanders in Leipzig, Germany, driver arrested
Incident Overview and Investigation
BERLIN, May 4 (Reuters) - Two people were killed and others were injured when a car drove into a central pedestrian zone of the eastern German city of Leipzig, Mayor Burkhard Jung told journalists at the scene.
Police arrested the driver and said there was no further danger.
Authorities' Response
"We don't know the motivation. We don't know anything about the culprit," Jung said in a video message posted by local media outlet Leipziger Volkszeitung.
The police could not provide details on injuries, but a spokesperson for the mayor said that two people were seriously injured.
The police said they were conducting an operation in the area and would be providing further updates.
Eyewitness Accounts and Media Reports
A damaged Volkswagen SUV with a person on top of the vehicle was seen speeding through a pedestrian zone, local broadcaster Radio Leipzig reported.
The broadcaster cited eyewitnesses as saying there were several bodies covered with sheets as well as a stabbing.
Bild reported at least eight injuries.
Context: Recent Similar Incidents in Germany
Like other European countries, Germany has witnessed a spate of car-ramming and stabbing incidents in recent years, some of which involved religious or political motivations and some carried out by people with mental health issues.
Last year, two people were killed in the western city of Mannheim, when a 40-year-old man drove a car into a group of pedestrians, only weeks after a similar attack on a trade union demonstration in Munich, killing two and injuring more than 40, many children among them.
In December 2024, several people were killed in a car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg. That incident came months after a stabbing attack at a festival in the western city of Solingen.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting Miranda Murray, James Mackenzie and Tom Sims; Editing by Thomas Seythal and Bill Berkrot)
