Mannheim incident LIVE: Two dead and 25 injured after car driven at group of people

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German President and Chancellor-designate issue statements

Germany’s Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the incoming chancellor Freidreich Merz have issued statements stating their sympathy for those affected by the incident.

Mr Steinmeier said in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “It is terrible what they have to go through. I wish the injured a speedy recovery.” And Mr Merz, the successful CDU/CSU candidate for chancellor, said Germany “must become a safe country again” in a second statement on the social media platform.

He wrote: “My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” the CDU leader said on X. “The incident – as well as the terrible acts of the past few months – is a stark reminder to us: we must do everything we can to prevent such acts. Germany must become a safe country again.”

Smash perpetrator left critically injured

The perpetrator of today’s crash was apprehended by police while critically injured, Bild has reported.

The publication said he had shot himself in the mouth with a blank gun during his arrest. He was brought to hospital to receive treatment for his injuries.

Police confirm second fatality

Police in Mannheim have confirmed a second person died after a crowd was driven into a crowd in the German city.

Perpetrator had no history of extremism

German authorities who arrested the perpetrator have said the 40-year-old had no connection with extremism or terrorism.

However, national publication Bild has reported that he had mental health issues in the past.

Car driver identified as German national

Local reports have identified the driver of the car that crashed earlier today as a 40-year-old German national from Rhineland-Palatinate, a nearby state.

German news agency DPA has cited Thomas Strobl, the interior minister of Mannheim’s state of Baden-Württemberg as having confirmed the nationality. He is now in custody, and police believe he acted alone.

‘No danger to public’ police say in latest statement

Police have said there is “no danger” to the German public in their latest statement, with investigators having apprehended a lone perpetrator.

They said in a statement: “According to the current status of the investigations, it is a lone perpetrator who has already been apprehended. Indications of a second perpetrator cannot be confirmed at this time. There is currently no danger to the population!”

Carnival parades cancelled in three regions following horror smash

Officials have cancelled parades due to take place on Tuesday in Brühl, Heidelberg and Schwetzingen (Baden-Württemberg). They have cited the security situation resulting from the fatal crash earlier today in their reasoning, with Matthias Steffan, the mayor of Schwetzingen, saying in a statement that it is “the only right decision”.

The mayor said: “The tragic events in Mannheim have shocked us all deeply, and in this situation we believe it is the only right decision. Our condolences go out to the victims and their families. We thank everyone for their understanding and support.”

Mannheim under lockdown

Mannheim’s city centre is covered in cordons this afternoon, and all roads and bridges leading out of the city are being thoroughly searched by cops armed with machine guns.

A helicopter has been seen circling over the city. The public have been urged to avoid Mannheim city centre and to take a wide detour while officers continue to carry out their enquiries.

Suspected driver injured in hospital

The man who is thought to have rammed his car into a crowd of people is in hospital with injuries, according to the German Press Agency.

The news comes after the intensive care unit of Mannheim’s University Hospital declared a disaster alert shortly after the supposed attack. A total of three affected people are reportedly being treated at the university hospital, including two adults and a child – who were classified as having high medical urgency and are receiving acute medical care, Bild reports.

Police urge people not to post crime scene videos online

Police in Germany have urged people not to share videos of today’s crime scene in Mannheim on social media, adding there is fake news circulating “in connection with the crime”.

Members of the public have been asked not share clips “from the crime scene or the ongoing operation” – and should instead use the force’s online portal – due to be set up shortly – where pictures and videos can be uploaded “for investigative purposes”.

New images show scale of damage in Mannheim

Forensics officers have examined a damaged vehicle at an access road to the Rhine bridge in Mannheim.

Witness reports seeing ‘only injured people and the dead’

The driver is said to have ploughed into unsuspecting pedestrians at a market that had been taking place since Thursday on the Planken next to the water tower. There were around 60 food stalls, along with rides and games run by showmen.

One showman told German news outlet Mannheimer Morge: “It is terrible here, nobody knows what happened, you only see injured people and the dead, and you don’t know what to do”.

Where did the attack take place?

The incident today – understood to have left at least two dead – unfolded in the main shopping street of Mannheim, a city of about 326,000 people in western Germany.

After driving from the city’s landmark Water Tower, the driver of the black car ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians in the Paradeplatz, sparking panicked scenes among shoppers.

Residents have been urged to avoid the city centre this afternoon and stay inside their homes.

More photographs from scene

Police, fire and ambulance crews continue to file in to the crime scene this afternoon after at least two died in a possible vehicle ramming incident.

Officers have arrested one person, and residents of the city have been urged to stay inside over fears more suspects could be at large.

Hospitals preparing for adult and child casualties

An emergency incident response has been declared at Mannheim’s university hospital, and eight specialised trauma teams have been made available to treat adult and child casualties.

A hospital statement said: “Postponable operations that had not yet begun were immediately removed from the operation plan in order to create additional operating capacity.”

Footage shows people running from scene

Distressing footage circulated online shows people running from the scene screaming after the car collided with the crowd.

Much of the city centre has been sealed off amid a large emergency services presence since the incident early this afternoon.

Two dead, according to reports

Reports now say two have died and 25 left injured following the incident this afternoon.

Police have so far confirmed one death and say several people have been left “seriously” injured.

Latest from Mannheim

We’ve had confirmation in the last few moments that one person has died and several people left “seriously” injured after being hit by a vehicle in Mannheim city centre.

A suspect has been arrested and is now in custody, though police say it is currently unclear whether there are more suspects at large.

Full police statement

A statement from Mannheim Police reads: “The police and rescue services are currently on site.

“According to current findings, a car drove into a group of people in Mannheim city centre. According to the current status of the investigation, one person was killed and several people were injured.”

Suspect arrested

Police have arrested a suspect, who is now custody.

A vehicle has also been seized by officers, and photographs from the scene show a car in the road with a smashed windscreen surrounded by police tape.

One person confirmed dead

Police have now confirmed that one person has died and several others have been left seriously injured after being hit by a vehicle in Mannheim.

Two people being resuscitated

Paramedics are performing resuscitation on two injured people following the attack.

Black SUV drove at ‘high speed’

The black SUV drove at high speed from near a water tower towards the Galeria Kaufhof, before hitting a group of pedestrians.

Heightened police presence had been put in place in Germany for the current parade season following a string of vehicle ramming and stabbing attacks.

Emergency alert sent out to phones

An automated emergency alert has been sent out to residents in Mannheim following the incident, asking them to avoid the city centre.

These have appeared on phone lockscreens and will have reached a large number of people.

New images from the scene show emergency response

Police have urged people to avoid the city centre.

Roads being checked by ‘armed officers’ as major police operation launched

Amed officers with submachine guns are checking vehicles coming in and out of the city centre.

Helcopters are circling overhead as a major police operation continues.

‘One arrested’, according to German media

German tabloid Bild is now reporting that one person has been arrested, though this is yet to have been confirmed by police.

‘Avoid the city centre’, police say

On X (formerly Twitter), Mannheim Polizei have asked people to avoid Mannheim city centre and “take a wide detour”.

What we know so far

A vehicle has hit a crowd of people in the pedestrian zone directly outside the Galeria Kaufhof in Mannheim.

A number of people have been injured, including some seriously.

Police have urged people to stay away from Mannheim city centre, and an emergency alert sent to mobile phones asked them to ‘stay inside’ their homes.

One local woman said: “My daughter just wrote to me to say that a car drove into the city centre of Mannheim and ran over several people. She is fine, but was very close by… no further information yet.”

It follows a number of recent security incidents in Germany, including a major vehicle ramming attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg in December, which killed six people and injured at least 299 others.

Another car attack in Munich before last month’s federal elections left 28 people injured.