Two people have been killed and several others injured after a car drove into a crowd in Leipzig, Germany, on Monday afternoon, authorities said.
Mayor Burkhard Jung confirmed that a 33-year-old German suspect has been arrested, adding that investigators are still trying to establish a motive.
Police said the vehicle struck pedestrians in the busy Grimmaische Straße area before continuing on its path.
Fire chief Axel Shuh reported that 22 people were injured, including two in serious condition.
Saxony state premier Michael Kretschmer said the suspect had a history of mental illness.
Police spokesperson Susanne Luebcke detailed the incident, saying that at about 17:35 (15:35 GMT) “a person drove a vehicle across Augustusplatz into Grimmaische Street, continuing on past the market”.
“Several people were injured in the incident. Unfortunately, we also have to report two fatalities,” she added.
“We are talking about a case of violent rampage here. We are working on the assumption that this was the act of a lone perpetrator and currently have no indications that there is still a threat to public safety.”
Prosecutors confirmed the victims were a 63-year-old woman and a 77-year-old man, both German citizens.
They said the suspect is being investigated for murder and attempted murder, noting there is “no basis on current knowledge” to suggest a religious or political motive.
The car eventually came to a halt near bollards on Grimmaische Straße.
Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes. One witness, Susi, told Radio Leipzig she was sitting with a friend nearby when the incident occurred.
“We heard a loud bang,” she said, adding that the driver was going “really fast”.
She said they sought shelter in a jewellery shop and later saw injured people lying on the ground.
Another witness said the car stopped after hitting bollards and that a woman fell from the roof of a vehicle. Bystanders rushed to help the injured, while others surrounded the car and attempted to pull the driver out through an open window.
The same witness said the suspect tried to escape through a passenger window before police arrived and restrained him with cable ties.
Germany has witnessed similar incidents in recent years. In December 2024, at least six people were killed and more than 300 injured in an attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg.
In February last year, a car drove into a crowd in Munich, injuring at least 30 people shortly before the country’s federal elections.
